Pokémon Unison
by SlickSilver
Summary: Story Arc: Pokemon and Trainer's New Perspective! Within the ranks of Team Rocket, Eric Claid gives PKMN Battling a new meaning with the newcoming ability that would ask: "What would you do if you could transform into a Pokemon you've formed a bond with?" Contains profanity. first 11 chapters to undergo formatting repair... soon.
1. Preview

**PREVIEW**

_**I never realized how important I was until I got enough of a look at my boss's attitude towards me. I guess it's also because of my success in this organization, this "Team Rocket". As it turns out, it seems to be quite the trend that younger people have a great deal more potential as Pokémon Trainers, and to find one who's very skilled in battle can be a valuable asset, or a threat. I was told I'd become a more efficient Battler, and I've become just that. However, despite my accomplishments, my ability, and the friends I made, some part of me doesn't want any of it… and it only grows more noticeable after a mission nearly killed me. But then something else happens, something I'm not quite sure about, and it all has something to do with… "those Pokémon". Whatever it is, I want to know why, especially with when something even stranger is happening to me and my Pokémon partners, like we're becoming more like each other, in more ways than one…**_

Youngest to ever join the Ranks of Team Rocket, sixteen-year-old Eric Claid is a success story for the organization and the boss, Giovanni. Highly cooperative, skilled in Pokémon Battling, and well able to handle any mission Team Rocket throws his way. As a result, he even creates a reputation as a criminal mastermind in the making. However, there's more to him than what's displayed in public… when he's not doing work, he's one of the few members who can show he cares for Pokémon, participating with a group who shares his understanding. Then, when one mission goes south, he begins feeling much more connected towards his Pokémon, among other changes. At the same time, however, he's finding himself the target of a truly evil enemy, who not only uses a type of Pokémon thought to have been dealt with, but eventually turns out to be someone no rational mind could expect…


	2. Chapter 1: Youngest Rocket Member

Chapter 1: Youngest Rocket Member

*BEEEP, BEEEP, BEEEP… BEEEP, BEEEP, BEEEP*

"Hoi, kid, get out of bed this instant!"

Morning, huh?

"OK, OK, I'm awake, damn!" I shouted back.

"Grunts Briefing in FIFTEEN MINUTES, MOVE IT, KID!"

I threw my blankets off of me, and got dressed in uniform, making sure it was a clean set. I put on the traditional uniform, long black pants with a pair of grey boots, along with a black long sleeved shirt with a big "R" on the back. I then put on the black and red rider's cap, and rushed off towards the door, grabbing my belt, complete with buckle and six small pockets (three on each side) for holding small red and white Pokeballs and buckled it on. I then pressed the button on my alarm clock, which was still going off, and marched on outside down the hallway. A man, supposedly in his late twenties, walked next to me… and the look on his face told me he wasn't happy… in fact, he was ticked off.

"Dammit, Claid, How is it that you get cut some slack when you wake up late, but I don't?" the man said. The man had a bit of a beard going on, and his brown hair was in need of a serious combing. But I just kept marching onwards and didn't answer as I turned right to a second hallway towards the destination I was supposed to be. I found I was actually on time, according to the clock I passed.

My name is Eric Claid, I'm 16 years old, and I'm a member of an organization called Team Rocket. Team Rocket is a group of people who hope to gain control of the local society in the world, and make an important change on how society should be in the future… the people will lend us creatures that have unique power, called Pokémon, and help us attain that goal. The Pokémon are treated as helpers in declaring war on the incorrect society that today's world is made up of… or so I've been told constantly. But with my two years experience as a low ranked member, called a Grunt, I learned the truth of what Team Rocket really is a long time ago. What Team Rocket's really about was something more evil than what I thought was humane…Team Rocket was a criminal Organization bent on gaining control of the world… and they still work with the false dream of a new world… and the people, they don't LEND us Pokémon, We STEAL the Pokémon from people known as Pokémon Trainers, and later use those Pokémon as tools. We are basically known as a very powerful organization of Pokémon Trainers who are bent on taking over the world, and the head honcho is no joke either… but little does the public realize that the boss of Team Rocket, named Giovanni, is also the final Trainer of a group of eight who Trainers are required to battle (and prove victorious of course) in order to gain access to the nationwide tournament known as the Indigo Pokémon League, where Pokémon and their Trainers compete to determine who is the strongest in the nation.

We arrived at the Grunts briefing room. Today was the day of another mission, and I was promised a promotion if I kept my success streak, which has lasted about a couple of months in the few missions I happen to be assigned to, going on for a couple more missions. For me, it was just another day on the job, but I'm not like the other grunts, because I stay quiet when I'm in the middle of an important part of the mission, to make sure I don't let my more humane self get the better of me, despite the fact of how it pains me to hurt people and commit crimes for a living.

I entered the briefing room, and eighteen other grunts and a Blue haired Administrator, the commanding officer, was waiting. The Admin was in his thirties, his hair was slicked back, so that people could see how professional he is when he's on the job, when it's not on the job, we've been considered rivals in the sport of Pokémon Battling, where two Trainers pit each other's team of Pokémon in either one on one, or two on two match, and the last Pokémon standing is the winner. His name was Syrus Mitchell, and it seemed he is not happy either.

"Claid, you little brat, where were you!" He shouted with the voice of a fat boss in his forties. I've known him for awhile, and he's usually like this when he's pissed.

"I was getting my Pokémon groomed, and kissing my invisible Girlfriend, SIR…" I said with a smart-assed attitude, the grunts in the room began to laugh… "But in all due honesty, SIR, I consider myself to be on time whether you like it or not, and the clock proves it."

"To be on time in your book is being late in mine; I could have you off of this mission in an instant. So watch your tongue, squirt." Syrus glared at me. I rolled my eyes, knowing full well he needs me as "tactics Grunt", the guy making the plans. He made the announcement, and worded it as if to hide the true meaning from me personally

In short, the Celadon Pokémon Center is crowded because a Gym Battle outdoors had accidentally spread Stun Spore and Poisonpowder to a majority of the city. The people there were treated quickly, but the Pokémon were sent to the Pokémon center all at once.

The majority from then on felt like forever, the next twenty minutes felt like planning the next five moves in a game of chess to a group of amateurs. Admittedly, I'm good at it, but I don't like having to spell it out.

Syrus was professionally satisfied, despite the fact I was the one who thought up the plan. "Hmph… OK, then. Eric Claid, you are in charge of a small squad of five other members in this operation. We will strike at 1400 hours, and be expected out of the premises in 45 minutes. Everyone, grab your masks and get your disguises ready, you'll be flying off to Celadon city in twenty minutes. Dismissed!"

We filed out of the room, and I figured I'd give my Pokémon the heads up while I was walking… I released my Psychic Pokémon called Alakazam; he was a gold and brown colored Pokémon, with a small snout-like nose, and a mustache, not to mention three fingered hands (each holding a spoon for manipulating Psychic energy), along what looks like birds feet... He began levitating next to me, and I let him read my mind so we could communicate through a makeshift telepathy…

_Hey, how are you?_ Alakazam asked. He knew the answer, but I assumed it felt more polite to ask anyways.

_Lousy, that's the same morning, lousy… _I thought, suddenly irritable,_ I feel too damn superior these days, people expect me to come up with the plans when I'm around, they never even got ONE successful plan because they go big._ I gave Alakazam this half eyed look… and I started to wonder what was making me act this way… I then shrugged it off and just figured "puberty".

So I walked right, towards the hallway, and I passed a blonde-haired woman of about nineteen to twenty-one, by my judgment, wearing the regular admin's uniform for women, a really small tee shirt that's just big enough to cover the very top of her chest, but small enough so some dude could stare at her thin, sleek sides. I knew her as Rocket Agent Domino, codenamed 009 (double-Oh nine), and she was one hell of a tom girl, able to hold her own against a man in a wrestling match. While I've seen it with my own eyes, I think she was just using her breasts as a world class distraction, which would NEVER FAIL if that really were the case with idiots like the other Grunts.

I looked her in the eye as she passed by, and when she looked me eye to eye, I saw her smirk, with that superior, overconfident, don't-mess-with-me, kind of look. Once we passed each other, I snorted a little "Hmph" and proceeded down the hallway towards my room. _Cocky, blonde haired little bitch,_ I thought, still in my angry mood swing.

I checked my large closet, with my dozens of wigs, hats, hair dyes, and clothes… all of which I go shopping for myself, online of course. Hey, who said fashion was only for women? Not ME, and most CERTAINLY not my job, where getting good disguises was a good idea… Anyways, after a few minutes, I began to take a good long look at myself in the large mirror, except that who I saw was a four eyed, buck-toothed, bushy red-haired nerd with braces. And he wore an explorers suit and had bug catching equipment, he also had a portable Doctors mask big enough to cover the nose and mouth, just in case a bug Pokémon was gonna hit him with Sleep Powder, Poisonpowder, or Stun Spore (all of which could cause some serious problems). the boy put on his hat and walked out of the mirror. Alakazam was snorting with amusement. _Eric, boy, if you were to look like that for real, a lot of people would pick on you… you've done it once again, kid._

_And you know what, you're coming along for the ride._ I thought._ In this mission, I'm gonna need yours and Charizard's Help if we want another successful mission, Blaziken and Marshtomp will serve as backup Pokémon, but you two will be my opening act. _

Alakazam shrugged. _Fine with me, just make sure you pack up enough berries for emergency cases_

I patted the small pouch in the right of my disguised utility belt, which contained an assortment of berries essential for small bursts of energy in the heat of battle, and on my left side, was my PDA, which most people call the Pokémon Digital Assistant (which I find very silly, because it has NOTHING to do with Pokémon except for a list of every Pokémon I've ever met and NOTHING ELSE), specially imported from the Orre Region overseas. I recalled Alakazam, where I then began checking that my Four Pokeballs were on my belt, and making sure they were actually MINE… then I walked towards the door and one of the grunts in the squad I was leading was waiting… he recoiled back, whether it be at my disguise or something else, but all I knew was that he thought I was someone else… "Hey, who are you and how did you-!" He stopped when I took off the fake buck teeth, and realized that was actually me.

"Wow, kid, you got me for a minute there." He said, astonished.

"Don't worry," I replied. "You're not the only one to think I'm someone else, hopefully I'll be able to fit in a group of bug maniacs. Otherwise, I'll have to be separated from the squad to avoid suspicion… I'm just hoping we can use more than just fire and wind. You got any Pokémon with Smokescreen or Smog?"

The Grunt looked curious. "I don't, but someone else on the squad has a Houndour with Smog. Why, was that part of the plan?"

"Nah, I just wanted to be safe, that's all" I said, and then we marched over to the rest of the squad at the roof, Syrus felt pleased, and I hoped it was because I have a good disguise.

"OK, Men… and kid, let's MOVE OUT!" Syrus shouted. Everyone climbed on the chopper, and I released my Dragon-like Pokémon, Charizard. He stretched out his wings, I hopped on his back, and we both rose up into the Wild Blue Yonder, next destination, Celadon City.


	3. Chapter 2: Celadon Pruning

Chapter 2: Celadon Pruning

Finally, the city has quiet down, thanks to the work of Nurse Joy. If it wasn't for her, then Celadon City would be in a major panic, and Gym Leader Ericka knew that as well as everyone nearby. unfortunately, the problem was far from over, as there is still about two hundred Pokémon living in households everywhere who were affected, they were recalled to their Pokéballs for safety, because there wasn't enough assistance to cure all the Pokémon from Paralysis and illness caused by Vileplume's Stun Spore and the Challenging Venomoth's Poisonpowder, which was spread by a strong breeze of today's windy weather. Ericka's Challenger, a boy about the age of thirteen, had volunteered to help the people who were hit. Everyone still able to move, Ericka and her challenger included, was advised to recall all the Pokémon to their Pokéballs and find help immediately. Now everyone's been cured of the illness, but there's still the Pokémon of the many residents in the city that still rested in their Pokéballs. Most of the city's Pokémon have been cured, but there was still a lot of Pokémon remaining... and that was still a problem.

"Well, it seems like this problem might actually come to an end." the challenger said. "Sorry again for causing this mess, I didn't expect today to be windy.

Despite the fact the challenger was more mature than his actual age, his feelings towards the town's welfare was making Ericka feel rather uncomfortable... The Gym Leader sighed. "It'll be OK, perhaps we could finish the battle later today, inside one of the greenhouses." she pointed her thumb behind her, regarding a clear glass building that stood behind them, completely filled with plant life inside.

The challenger looked uncertain, and Ericka figured as much, being a grass type Pokémon Trainer, she would be at an advantage if there wasn't an open arena. The kid nodded in agreement, and he made sure his Pokémon were retrieved from the Pokémon Center... Ericka followed behind him, just to see how Nurse Joy was doing.

Ericka was still concerned about the Pokémon, and she was sure that the challenger didn't intend for this accident to happen. But still, it wouldn't hurt to make sure.

She walked into the Pokémon Center, and it seemed that the crowd seemed to have thinned out slightly. Nurse Joy was sitting on the lobby seat, her face buried in her hands in a tired gesture. This wasn't a big surprise, with all the work being done, there's hardly enough time to rest. Ericka walked over next to the nurse and sat down next to her.

"How is it?" the Gym Leader asked.

Nurse Joy sighed, "I've never had to care for so many Pokémon, and Chansey is tired as well. But thanks to the volunteers' assistance, I'm sure everything would be fine by tonight."

Ericka nodded, figuring it was honest. As she walked towards the entrance, though, she was getting some bad that things might just get worse.

*ERIC*

It was only a few miles away from the city, and I led the chopper down over to a nearby clearing, through my binoculars I found that nobody tilted their head in my direction. I looked at the extra Pokéball, containing a Bug Pokémon called Dustox, meant to fit my Bug Catcher Background. It didn't take long for everyone to be in their disguises (which made me snicker at how easy it was to still know who they are) before they started jogging, in well separated groups, over to the city.

Charizard landed, I recalled him back into his Pokéball without looking at him. I then pulled out a small book called "Psychology of the Various Pokémon Trainers". Flipping through the pages until I found info of the psychology of an average Bug Catcher… which, in my honest opinion, was an absolute headache. I never was very interested in Biology, and I was forced to cram as much of the geeky junk about it just to make a convincing disguise... I finished the chapter in a matter of minutes, before walking over to Celadon City with a small module for controlling the radio channels to connected devices in my left hand, a Pokémon Reference book held in my right and my personal wireless earphone in my right ear. I made sure I had everything available for immediate use, and afterwards felt a little more confident that I could finish this a little early.

I arrived at Celadon City in a few minutes, and I suddenly wondered if it really was hit with a Stun Spore/Poisonpowder combo. Because it looked so calm around, it was almost as if nothing really happened. Following the plan, I immediately started looking for random trainers and challenging them to battle "my Dussstox". To my utter disappointment, they refused because Nurse Joy advised that their Pokémon "get some rest for today." At the moment, everything at the Pokémon center was going smoothly, but I still needed another way to get the crowd's attention, so I continued looking for people willing to battle (sadly, with no luck). I looked around to find two small crowds close to where the four grunts in my squad were "Sparring." It seems I must have picked well, because they really were giving it their all, and the battles kept heating up, judging from the crowd. I groaned and kept looking for someone to battle, and still not one other Trainer will accept my challenge.

_Dammit, isn't there ANYONE willing to start a battle! this SUCKS_, I thought, frustrated... just watching everyone else made me want to duke it out, and I was well familiar with the Dustox's Attacks to be able to battle well. But despite the fact that the operation was going well so far, I was seriously itching for a battle, and there was NO ONE around who was available. I walked over to the Pokémon Center, and I asked one of the townsfolk where the phones were, he pointed towards the green screen phones. I chose to remove the buckteeth from my mouth with my left hand; I picked up the phone receiver with the right hand, and pretended to press numbers with the screen turned off (just an audio call, that's all). The buckteeth were covered in drool and I had to hold them, otherwise I could get busted while I was drying them. Once it appeared that I was technically "on the phone", I put my middle finger over the earpiece, set the radio to Syrus's channel... and I then proceeded over to radioing the snatching team.

*BSHH*"This is Bug Boy calling Merman, Bug Boy calling Merman, what's the status of the capture so far?"

*BSHH*"this is Merman." Syrus responded in a whisper, 'Merman' being his name for his using water Pokémon. "Operation has begun and we're at thirty percent, don't start trouble, got that?"

"Roger that, how much time is left?"

"We got half an hour, don't do anything stupid, or else you're in for it."

"Yeah, yeah..."

I switched the frequency to the channel of the radios on my squad.

"Update, guys, the operation is going smoothly, and we're at thirty percent completion. so far so good, team, I'll try and keep everyone occupied once you're finished." I then deactivated the mic on my radio, so anything I say won't be picked up, but anything everyone else says will be heard. Immediately, I dashed out of the Pokémon center, and-

*BMPH...TH-THUD*

I was so busy thinking and hurriedly placing the fake teeth back into my mouth that I ended up running into someone, regaining lost wind and glancing briefly, I found it to be about a girl about my age. Once I set my gaze on that familiar purple hair, however, I realized she was Gym Leader Ericka!

"Rym'e..." I garbled, and I discovered that the fall put my buckteeth in my mouth the wrong way, I instantly fixed it, and spoke again. "I'm S-ssorry, ma'am. Are you OK?"

"Ugh." She grunted as she got to her feet. "I'll be fine, you new around here?"

I managed to stand up quickly. "Yea, actually, but I really wanted to have a match with someone, but they all gave me the same thing, that Nurse Joy advised that that they 'get some rest for awhile', did something happen?" I gave Ericka a curious look, just like a visiting traveler would. Ericka explained what the big problem was and went into detail about how a trainer from Viridian City challenged her to a gym battle for the Celadon City prize, the Rainbow Badge.

The battle was taken outside because there were a few plants being recently planted in the main Gym, and the greenhouses were occupied. She then went into how the battle went, the challenger brought out Raticate, and she sent out Weepenbell. Raticate gained an upper hand with Quick Attack and Hyper Fang and defeated Weepenbell. When Vileplume was summoned, Pedal Dance and Solarbeam weren't doing much good because Raticate was using Quick Attack to avoid it. After a few blows of Hyper Fang, eventually Ericka had to slow Raticate down, and Vileplume's using Stun Spore did the trick, immobilizing the enemy Raticate, and leaving it open for Solarbeam.

...It was round two, and Vileplume went back to Ericka to have its wounds quickly treated with a potion or two, and the Challenger Sent out Venomoth. Just like Raticate, Venomoth was too fast for Vileplume to hit, and With Venomoth spreading Poisonpowder as it was avoiding getting hit, Vileplume was in bad shape. But Ericka had Vileplume do the same thing, using Stun Spore, and then out of nowhere, a strong breeze blew out towards the battle and it was strong enough to spread the Stun Spore/Poisonpowder combo.

"And that's how we ended up in this mess. If it wasn't for Joy, then I'm not sure if it would be very calm here. We still have to finish the battle, but I'm sure that the kid can do fine."

...After what seemed like an hour, I felt my pants begin to shake, and then I heard the *BEEPBEEP, BEEPBEEP, BEEPBEEP* of my PDA going off, obviously meaning I got a new e-mail. I opened the inbox, and it was typed in heavy bold to explain the urgency...

**5 MINUTE WARNING, Claid! If you have an exit plan all set up, then GET TO WORK ON IT! Repeat... FIVE MINUTE WARNING!**

I found myself surprised that it almost took the remaining time on the mission. I felt relieved, but I had to keep my concerned attitude because the mission's still not done. but I actually had two exit plans all set up, and it seemed that plan number one has its cue...

"Well, I have to go in a few minutesss, but I'm sstill hoping to... uhh... perhapsss have a sparring match with you... iss it OK? Jusst one Pokémon, nothing major."

Ericka winced, as if she wanted to say yes, but something else had her attention, and I overheard a faint crashing. "Err, sure… I just need to check up on the Pokémon being stored, y'know, to make sure nothing's happening to them. But I'm sure I'll battle you once I'm sure the Pokémon are still there."

My eyes widened._ She's doing WHAT!_ I thought, slightly panicked. The team wasn't finished yet, and if Ericka found them in there, it would mean trouble.


	4. Chapter 3: Flowers to Weeds

Chapter 3: Flowers to Weeds

I had to stall her, or distract her. "Why not now? it'sss jusst one Pokemon, and it'll only take five."

Ericka suddenly seemed suspicious, she gave me a funny look and asked "Why the urgency, it's only for a few seconds...?"

_shoot, gotta think fast!_ "B-becausse my friendss ssay that if I don't get a battle s-soon, they'll jusst call everyone here a bunch of chickenss... I know they aren't, but..." as I was speaking, I was starting to get nervous I might lose my cool. _calm, Eric, just a couple of minutes, a couple of minutes..._ "I just want to prove them wrong, and I'm sssure you could help by taking up my challenge."

Either she was starting to suspect me, or she just thought I was just a kid, and just as she was turning the handle, I heard my radio headset get something.

"Claid, time to move out. We're done here, you've made a pretty good destr--." the door opened and Syrus got cut off when Ericka discovered them. "Hey! What are you doing-- HEY, THOSE POKEMON AREN'T YOURS!!"

Two grunts carrying a couple of large sacks, probably filled with Pokeballs, suddenly started running towards the back door at the end of the hallway, Ericka began chasing them. I hesitated for a moment, and then proceeded to removing my disguise. I removed the straw hat and wig from my head, I took out the buckteeth (and about time too, I hated them...), and I took off the disguise clothes, revealing a Team rocket tee shirt (black, with a big "R" on the back...) with black jeans and a black beret-like cap (a bit poofed out, but not drooping over to one side like a beret). I then bundled up the disguise, and dashed towards the back door... immediately I went through the same procedure of preventing myself from being tracked by an average Officer Jenny's Growlithe or Arcanine. I sent out Blaziken, then I asked him to use Flamethrower on the discarded disguise (melting the buckteeth), knowing full well I won't be using those clothes again in the future. The job's paycheck will give me enough to be considered a refund.

"Aaaagh!!" I heard one of the grunts scream. The battle nearby was getting out of hand, I had to think fast, or else.

*BSHH* "This is Merman calling from the Chopper, what the hell is going on over there!? Half the load's been packed up, but the second half is missing. CLAID, DEFEND THE SECOND GROUP!!"BFSHH*

It was Syrus, and it looks like the first group of grunts managed to get to the chopper OK, but it seems the second group is in trouble. I relayed the orders to the rest of the squad.

"This is Eric Claid, capture squad two is in jeopardy, I'll intercept, return to the Helicopter. Repeat, return to the helicopter!"

Everyone replied "Roger" or "Got it", and afterwards, I recalled Blaziken, and summoned Charizard and Alakazam. "Time to rumble, you two. remember, don't--"

_hurt anyone too badly, we know_ Alakazam Thought Spoke, finishing my sentence._ Haven't you ever considered leaving?_

I stood silent for a few seconds, pondering the idea.

_**Think about that question....**_ another thought voice spoke, and I was left a little confused...

_Wasn't me._ Alakazam said when I looked at him.

I just stood there, and didn't move until I saw someone run toward the woods behind the Pokemon center (it turns out the grunts managed to make it past me). I regained my posture, and Hopped up on Charizard saying "Let's Fly."

Charizard opened his wings and took flight, Alakazam levitating. we rose above the Pokemon Center roof and as I saw Ericka and a few others focus on the retreating group, I was all set to battle.

Charizard hovered where we lifted off, giving us position. Ericka then Shouted, "Ivysaur, Use Razor Leaf!" A predictable kind of move to use, if the enemy is going to escape, then use Razor Leaf to rip open the bag. Cause its contents to spill out, and it'll make pursuit easier. Unfortunately for them, there's just one little catch about it. They may be sharp, but they are still leaves; whether they can cut or not, leaves are still flammable.

"Charizard, block the leaves with Flamethrower." I said. I then grabbed the black Team Rocket Grunts cap and tilted it so that a shadow lay over my eyes, hiding most of the expression on my face. and right when I put on my cap, Charizard let loose a stream of fire that overwhelmed the ongoing leaves, but suddenly five leaves popped out of the pillar of fire, and they stopped as Alakazam used Psychic, without my needing to say so. The result caused the fire to subside, and five leaves to hover in midair.

"Huh!? Wha--!?" Ericka definitely didn't expect that, and I wasn't surprised. she looked around wildly, and then looked up towards me. Charizard was getting restless, so I had him land between the second capture squad and the opposing Gym leader with her assistants. I swung my leg, careful not to kick Charizard's wing, and slid off onto flat ground to face Ericka.

"You want these Pokemon back, you'll have to go through me." I said, in the practiced professional zero-tolerance tone... I kept my eyes shadowed under my cap, because the expression I gave through my eyes would convince someone to try and make me feel guilty. I pulled myself together, I focused on the battle. it was five trainers on one at the moment, but the four grunts were supposedly on their way.... or something was wrong...

"A kid? They have _kids_ in Team Rocket!?" one of the assistants said in shock. "the poor thing."

Jeez, she was making it sound as if I was forced into Team Rocket and abused, it was creepy... but I guess it's understandable to think that, since most members of Team Rocket are considered adults, usually from seventeen to eighteen and older. but I joined Team Rocket under a different reason. Not because of a threat, but because of a proposition that I refused one day, but had a strong enough impact to be unable to refuse the next day... but that's a different story, and now wasn't the time to reminisce on past events...

The standoff lasted for fifteen minutes, and then I started to hear the sounds of sirens in the distance. My best guess, was probably the city's officer Jenny coming to the rescue... the assistants turned their heads, shifting their attention over to the red and blue sirens in the distance, and figured now was my chance to strike.

"Alakazam, use Psychic on the assistants, lift them in the air, do not let them summon their Pokemon!" I commanded. a moment later the four assistants had a bluish glow around them. they immediately began floating up in the air, and they started to scream in surprise and fear of getting hurt.

"EEEK, I can't move!!"

"Hey, what are you--!?"

"I can't move, Help!"

It was the same human response, and I couldn't blame them... but now that the four extra trainers were unable to battle with Ericka, I was able to fight in a somewhat fair fight.

"Charizard, Take Flight!" The Battle began, and I was making the first move, Ericka got ready, she then made her move. "OK Ivysaur, get ready."

"Begin the battle with a Gust Attack!" I shouted. Charizard began Flapping his wings with enough force to cause a wind to blow over the battleground. Ericka put her wrist over her face, trying to still see. I put my hand on my cap, making sure it doesn't float off.

I tried to listen to what Ericka was trying to command Ivysaur, but because of the blowing wind, I couldn't make out what she was saying. although I immediately found that the mic was being muffled by the wind. I pressed it against my ear to hear it better...

*BSHH* Eric, ERIC!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON THERE!? I can see Charizard using a Gust attack. Report, dammit, REPORT!!"

I had a hard time trying to respond, Charizard started getting tired. I had to react to the attack, I looked up at Charizard. "Charizard, Land and use Flamethrow--"

From out of _nowhere_, two dark green ropes wrapped around Charizard's jaw. They muzzled him almost instantly and he was forced to land on the ground, tugging backwards with his head in an attempt to get the ropes off. Charizard was just as caught off guard as I was, and his expression explained it. I looked down the ropes only to realize it was Ivysaur that muzzled Charizard with Vine Whip, and I found the resulting reason immediately. Charizard's extended Gust attack put enough strain on his wings to the point where he would damage himself if he tried to fly again. Furthermore, with most of his attacks coming from his mouth, Charizard was basically helpless without his wings and jaw. Still, that didn't mean I had no way out, and if I work fast enough, it'll work, despite it being crazy. plus, this wasn't an official battle, so anything goes, and I'm not surprised that few things I have in mind would catch a regular trainer off guard.

I gripped Charizard's Pokeball, and recalled him. a beam of red light shot out of the button from the red and white sphere, practically dematerializing (sci-fi talk, I know) the large pokemon into the sphere, throwing off Ivysaur's grip on his jaw, and causing it to fall backwards. Once Charizard was in the Pokeball, I then sent him out again, and took the delay to my advantage.

"Quick, use Flamethrower!" I commanded. No hesitation, no pause, that stream of fire shot toward Ivysaur, and I knew this would Knock it out.

_Eric, Behind you!!_ Alakazam shouted in thought with enough urgency that I just immediately jumped to the right out of instinct. Just as I did so, a rainbow-like beam shot out towards Charizard, through the spot where I was just standing. "Light--!!" I didn't have enough time to say "Light Screen, but a gold-ish panel appeared and blocked it, which told me that Alakazam got the message. I wasn't able to see Ivysaur until a moment later, where it stood, browned, and then it collapsed on the spot, unconscious...

The assistants were shrieking, I Recalled Charizard, and I just stood there.

One problem solved, but one question remaining.

"Where'd that beam come from...?" I said to myself. I guess Alakazam used Future sight without my expecting it, just to be safe, and now I feel thankful for it...

*BSHH* "Claid, Job well done. the second squad reached the chopper and now we're ready to go. Another job well done, kid." Syrus said in the radio.

I began to walk away, my face remaining blank, a shadow still over my eyes.

"...Why?" I looked toward the source of the voice. Ericka was giving me the look that explained a girl that lost someone dear. I felt something well up in my throat I put the front of my cap in between the gym leader and my line of sight and only said three words.

"It's my job..."

"LIAR!!" someone behind Ericka Screamed. it was a kid about a couple of years. his face was contorted in rage, and his teeth were bared..."LAIR, YOU ROTTEN, EVIL..." The kid was definitely showing his anger. he was swearing in anger, and he threw a Pokeball in challenge… instead the Pokeball just floated, but didn't open. Alakazam levitated to the ground, and I stood there, suddenly hearing voices from recent events. The Pokéball was floating back towards his trainer, because of Alakazam's psychokinesis.

_"we are to "relieve them" of those Pokemon." ___

_"THOSE POKEMON AREN'T YOURS!!" ___

_"...Why?" ___

_"...it's my job" ___

_"LIAR!" ___

_"LIAR!" ___

_"LIAR!"_

The word "liar" echoed in my head, and it took an effort to prevent my guilt from being displayed. All I said then, were the last words they'd hear before I would reach HQ back in Viridian City.

"Alakazam... T-teleport to rocket mobile base"

I closed my eyes and felt a quick rushing feeling, and when I opened them again, I was standing on the right of the Rocket helicopter. I recalled Alakazam, and walked towards the platform.

The grunts were confused. "Why aren't you flying on Charizard?"

I was not in the mood to talk, so I said it in as few words as possible.

"Incapable condition," I said.

"Hey, you want that guy to be stronger, you gotta push him. push'em till he--"

*TSEEWWWW* "AHHH"

The guy who was just talking got cut off and yelped as the sound of a beam was shot, and I only turned around to find a familiar rainbow colored lance stab me through the center torso.

"NUGH!" I grunted as I felt as if I was on fire. My entire body burned inside and out, and then I discovered the attack to be a concentrated Psybeam, and it was the same thing that tried to hit me at Celadon City.

The Psybeam ended, and I fell backwards onto the metal floor of the chopper, wide-eyed and unable to move.

"Shit!" Syrus swore, "Kid, kid, you OK?

I felt like I was on fire, I wanted to scream. It hurt that bad, but my mouth just wheezed and shuddered. Everything began to turn slightly fuzzy... and I almost felt that fire still burning...

"Eric....OK? ey......you OK? Eric!!"

I couldn't make out everything I heard... but I made out one thing while I was losing consciousness... just one thing, and it was through telepathy of someone I didn't recognize. _**Eric Claid, innocent among the evildoers, let this be a reminder of what your regret can bring upon you...**_


	5. Chapter 4: Back to Routine, it seems

Chapter 4: Back to Routine, it seems…

_Fire... everywhere... everywhere I looked, it was full of crackling fire... I tried to speak... but it felt distant... I tried to move, but I couldn't. Suddenly I looked upwards, I saw a pit... of magma. __  
__"Fire everywhere. Am I in... in hell?" __  
__instantly after I "said the word 'hell'", the flames erupted through me. Spikes of fire shot out of my body, as if I was being stabbed... and-- ___

_"UGH!" ___

_That pain, that PAIN, as the spikes erupted from me! It felt as if I had gained my sense of touch... and the result caused my body to burn, I was thrashing, writhing. it was like having a seizure, except something was keeping me still! I was thrashing and kicking at some unknown floor, burning all over, and spikes stabbing through me. It was like torture, literally, from hell... and-- _

"AHHHHH!!!"

"Blaze!"

I shot up from where I was laying, and I felt something press me down from the right, and my head hit something soft... my breathing was too fast, I was going to hyperventilate if I didn't slow down...

I lowered my eyelids halfway... and I calmed down. I looked to my right, and I was surprised to find that Blaziken was the one restraining me to my bunk; his hand on my shoulder... the expression on his face told me he was definitely worried about me...

_E-Eric, you awake?_ Alakazam's telepathic voice was shaking... and now I'm very curious about what happened. I motioned for Blaziken to remove his hand and he lifted it accordingly. I tried to get up slowly; my shoulders were off the bed before my stomach stung badly. I winced, and figured I wouldn't be able to get up painlessly, so I lay back down.

"Hey..." I said, my voice a little hoarse. Apparently I must have been screaming at one point.... "What... what happened while I was out?"

_When we got released from our Pokeballs and informed what to do by the med team, you were under some kind of stiffness and increased body heat for about a half an hour. When they left, you started thrashing and screaming… as if you were tortured, even though we couldn't understand what caused it._ Alakazam explained. _The thrashing got worse quickly, and Blaziken and I had to hold you down... and it wasn't easy. Even with my efforts to restrain you, you knocked Blaziken away about twice. But… that's not the part I'm worried about…_

I looked at him in curiosity. If my… whatever it was… wasn't the worst of it, then what was?  
Alakazam paused for a minute... and he then shook his head. _Never mind, it's nothing for you to worry about. It's pretty late, and you were out for a bit. You'd better get some rest._

"Blaze Blaze, Blaziken!" Something didn't seem right to Blaziken, and he said something to Alakazam.

"Ala ala. Ala alakazam ala ala, ALAKAZAM!!" the Psychic Pokemon didn't seem very happy with what Blaziken said, and retorted something back. Alakazam also gave Blaziken Pokemon a "Don't-Push-Me" kind of glare.

I then saw Alakazam narrow his eyes sharply giving Blaziken a challenging stare. Blaziken Recoiled seconds later, and I figured out that Alakazam was using thought speak. It didn't take much longer before Blaziken lowered his head, upset...

After Alakazam said his good nights, and went back to his Pokeball (amongst the group of them that I leave in my belt over on my bedside table), Blaziken looked at me again, with a sad face... I made a sympathetic look in return, and then remembered that I taught Blaziken, along with everyone else, how to read and write (except Marshtomp, who quickly gets bored with learning, and winds up dousing me for fun). I flattened my left hand and tilted the palm towards me, and making my right hand look as if it was writing. Blaziken understood, and he went to search for some pen and paper (with quite a bit of an eagerness about it). I felt satisfied, and then turned over to get some sleep... I figured it might take a while before he would finish... so I shut my eyes, and eventually drifted off.

***

It was 2300 hours at night (11:00PM in general time), Eric Claid's current condition is unknown, and the reported attack on the young agent was forming a lot of Questions in the mind of Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket. According to the report from agent Syrus Mitchell, the boy was successful in dealing with the complication in the recent mission, by defending a second squad of grunts who were carrying a large bag full of Pokeballs. He teleported, via his Alakazam, back to the rendezvous point to make his exit, due to his Charizard's being exhausted. But as soon as Eric stepped into the helicopter, a concentrated energy beam--believed to have been the Psychic attack Psybeam--struck Claid from behind. He passed out seconds afterwards, and immediately started having an unexplainable seizure when he was sent into the medical lab.

Giovanni looked at the medical report... according to the report, the boy was having a sudden fever when he arrived. The fever was severe, but manageable, so he was carried off to his quarters with the Doctor's request that his Psychic Pokemon monitor him occasionally. **"It's a shock to a few of us, to find a child with an attack like that..."** the comments read, **"at least he'll be in better health condition in the morning."**

Despite there being good news in the reports, there are still questions about the incident that concerned Giovanni. What was the purpose of that attack in the first place?

*boom-boom-boom*

Giovanni looked up from the reports, when he heard the door being knocked. Who could want to talk to him at this late hour?

"Enter." he said.

The door opened, to reveal a man about in his forties, he wore a white scientist's coat, along with regular blue jeans. His thick Glasses reflected the light from the office, and the nametag read his last name, Sanders. He was also holding a thin file in his right hand.

"Mr. Giovanni, sir, I have a report on the boy's current condition." Sanders said.

Giovanni nodded slightly, in the gesture to continue.

Sanders straightened his glasses as he opened the file. "It seems that Eric has managed to recover from the fever faster than expected, he is resting quietly and he'll be fully recovered by morning."

"Good." Giovanni said, slightly relaxing because of the good news.

"That will be all, Sir." The scientist spoke, in the respectful tone expected of him,

"Very well, Dismissed."

The scientist left, and Giovanni put himself back into a thinking position. He still wanted answers, but it didn't seem like he was going to get them anytime soon, despite his strong desire.

_What a mystery…_ Giovanni thought. _Maybe it was just a random attack... nothing more. Still, what… a… mystery_…

*BEEP, BEEP, BEEP... BEEP, BEEP, BEEP*

I pressed the button on the alarm clock that stood on my bedside table... and stretched while on the bed before getting up. I then picked up my notepad from the table to check what today's schedule was.  
****

**6:45-7:55AM make breakfast ****  
****8:00-9:55AM visit Workout room ****  
****10:00AM check Rocket inbox ****  
****10:05-11:25PM prepare lunch ****  
****2:05-5:05PM meet Club of Kindness ****  
****5:30-6:45PM prepare Dinner ****  
****8:15PM Personal Curfew ****  
**

Needless to say, it was just another casual day in Team Rocket HQ. Today had no special missions, but I preferred to remain on a schedule... just to keep good posture.  
So I checked the clock, and found it to be 6:50 in the morning. I jumped out of bed, cursing, and got into my casual clothes (regular grey-blue t-shirt, blue jeans, white socks, and grey sneakers with black and red lining) before getting my cooking stuff out... I began by walked over to the closet where my disguises were, and I moved a few jackets around until I could see my portable refrigerator, which I had to pay for myself. I kinda felt a little jealous of the admins every time I have to look at mine for long enough. Admins can have their own fridge provided for them if they don't want to eat in public, and they only have to pay a FRACTION of what I had to pay to get mine... and that's like about my $3,000 compared to their paying $300!  
Anyways, I grab the fridge and drag it out just far enough so that I could get to it easily. Next, I walked over to my bed and got a small plate-like item (forgot what it was called, though). It was rectangular with two handles on the far ends, it came with a cord that plugs in and heats up the center surface for cooking. I plug it in, set it to begin heating up. Finally, I went over to my fridge to get breakfast started. Today's breakfast was nothing out of the ordinary for Blaziken, Alakazam, Marshtomp and I... two eggs, a medium sized piece of ham, a small bowl of rice, with various sauces for different tastes. Then there are a variety of fruits like bananas, oranges, and apples… the usual stuff, perhaps orange or apple juice to drink. Ok, maybe it's a little more of a buffet for us. Unfortunately, it's a little tougher having to get Charizard's meal. I actually have to creep into the grunt's cafeteria, over where the cooks are giving out food into one of the ovens, and then lug one of the two large packages of already cooked ham over to my quarters before I get caught... so I walk out of my quarters, and then walk down a few halls hall, towards the grunts mess hall.

***KI-CHUNK...Reeee* **

The door to the Mess hall opened up.

"-- and I almost had a heart attack. Man, I'll say one thing, that kid's somethin' else. I feel sorry for anyone who becomes a target that young." as the door opened, someone was saying something that apparently happened to some kid, but I only heard that the kid was different... two guys walked out. one of them nodded to me as I walked by. After I passed them, though, apparently one of them tapped me on the shoulder, saying "Hey". I turned around. one of the grunts was looking at me with a curious look, I then realized it was one of the Grunts from yesterday's mission, he was in the distraction squad that I led.

"Oh, hey," I said when I remembered him, "How ya doin'?"

"I was going to ask _you _that," he said, "Gave us one hell of a heart attack getting hit out of nowhere like that. You think someone is after you?"

"After me?" I repeated. What does that mean? I know I got attacked, and I figured everyone managed to protect the Pokeballs, but what does he mean that someone is targeting me?

"Well, after you were hit, Syrus fought back in a panic, but whatever attacked you didn't attack twice, it only hit you, whatever it was, it wasn't after the Pokeballs... it's weird. Hell, even the BOSS is scratching his head about it."

I found myself rooted to the spot._ Me, a target? _"Hmm, that _is_weird." I just said, trying to sound uninterested.

Perhaps I was supposed to look worried, because the grunt talking to me looked at his buddy, then back at me. "Ehehe, kid, do you even CARE about your life?! That kind of crap is freaking CRAZY!!" I could tell the guy was worried, apparently from my response. I actually AM worried about supposedly being a major target, but I have been around the tough guys for so long, I hardly ever looked worried when I was supposed to. I made the look that displayed surprised confusion, and the guy frowned.

"Listen, you're trying to look tough to all of them, I see that. but don't forget that something's up around you, kid." he turned around to walk away and he stopped suddenly. He whirled back to me again. "Oh, and we also got a new member in the club."  
From cautioning advice, to a sudden note for the Club of Kindness, I felt a little less tense with the change of subject (perhaps a little caught of guard as well. "New recruit?" He nodded in answer.

"Hey, doesn't the kid have someplace to go?" I suddenly remembered the second grunt who was talking, and as soon as I remembered him, I remembered where I was supposed to go.... wait a minute...

I gasped in realization. "Ahh, hell!" I cursed... and I remembered that I was going to swipe a large ham for Charizard. The Grunt I was talking to, his name was Mike, by the way. He's seen me do this before, and I usually get him something extra whenever he asked... since I was going in there anyways.

"Hey, dude, don't get all knotted up about it, I left two trays in a large paper towel behind the trash... figured I'd repay ya for once."

The other grunt laughed. "It was funny, Mike said he was gonna try swiping one 'like the kid always does', and I looked at him and was amazed that it was so easy, either the kitchen staff are stupid, or something's really wrong here." He continued laughing out loud.

I sighed in relief, at least all Charizard has to do is heat it, and it will taste fine...

Mike then put on a serious face again. "Just keep in mind of what I said before, about your being a target."

I wound up getting smacked back down to earth after hearing that. I was hoping not to dwell on something after an incident like that. I told him I'd keep it in mind, and then walked off over behind the trash in the corner of the Mess Hall closest to the door. Sure enough, Two large trays of ham of ham, sat on the ground covered in a thick layer of Paper towels. I reached over, hoisted the trays, and dashed out of the cafeteria before anyone saw me.  
I arrived back in my quarters a few minutes later...I summoned my Pokemon, unwrapping the ham and leaving the trays next to Charizard, and instantly rushed into making breakfast. I cracked the eggs, put them on the hot plate (which was left on for too long), and then asked everyone how they want their eggs. Blaziken used sign language for scrambled, Alakazam thought spoke for Sunny side down, Marshtomp nodded towards Blaziken, indicating he wanted what he was having... and Charizard eyed at the plate as if he wanted to take it all...

"Charizard, c'mon, we haven't begun eating yet, and that look is making me nervous..."

Charizard grunted slightly, and I figured he wanted a few eggs to go with his ham...

"OK, OK, how do you want them?"

The large Pokemon rolled his eyes. Blaziken, who was watching, just shrugged. The gesture led me to believe he didn't care... so I grabbed three more eggs and placed them on the table for later, I then walked over to the fridge, and I got four small bones of ham, one bone was big enough to occupy one hand, so I ended up having to make two trips just to get four. Once I got all four, I asked Blaziken to heat them up for a little bit while I go get the rice. He nodded and then breathed a small flame near them, then I proceeded to grabbing the rice cooker from the closet. There was still some leftover rice from yesterday, mainly because I didn't eat yesterday during the mission, so it was still there (and still good). I then got the three sauces for everyone's current tastes, sweet and sour sauce, Soy Sauce for Dry tastes, and Wasabi sauce for spicy tastes... I still couldn't figure out what to get for bitter tastes, except by crumbling a green Pokeblock (a pokemon candy made by various berries) overtop whatever they wanted. Thankfully, I don't have any Pokemon who prefer bitter stuff. Charizard and Blaziken prefer the spicy Wasabi stuff, Marshtomp likes the Sweet and sour sauce, and I'm more of the salty kind of person, so Soy Sauce is my thing. Alakazam is the more neutral of us, so he just picks a sauce depending on his immediate mood. I mixed in a little Wasabi on Blaziken's rice, Sweet and sour on Marshtomp's, and finally finished with Soy Sauce on mine. Alakazam took a little sweet and sour sauce, and while Charizard wasn't fond of rice, I plastered a thin layer of Wasabi on the last strip of ham for Charizard's Spicy needs…

I looked over, to see if there was anything missing. The fruit bowl was in the center of the dining area (apparently someone got it out while I was busy... oh, and the dining area, it's on the floor) and I got Charizard's Eggs cooked (covered in wasabi sauce), and topped them carefully onto his ham. he took a bite on it, and definitely looked pleased with it.  
I smiled and said "Bon Appetite", and Blaziken grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started with the rice. Marshtomp began with his eggs, eating them without utensils, and I attacked the rice, just like Blaziken did.

So we pretty much ate as we would at a regular breakfast, and that can be one thing that makes me different from everyone else at Team Rocket (and I mean VERY different). For one thing, I don't consider my pokemon any lower than I am... in most cases, I will treat Pokemon as if they were my equals. I don't give them that generic stuff that everyone gives their Pokemon. No, I train them on using utensils they need, and give them the same food I eat... and I let them munch on the generic stuff as a snack (and a nutritious one at that, not that _I_ eat it). Unfortunately, all the other Rocket members disapprove of this kind of eating, so I usually just eat in my quarters, and only go into the Mess Hall to swipe what me or my partners need. and whenever I talk to someone, I usually will HAVE to refer to my partners as "my Pokemon" (as if I OWN them... and I don't like to think of them like that)... though if I refer to them as "my Pokemon", then I think of them as part of like a family, and before I joined Team Rocket, I've seen many successful trainers think the same way, and it helped make me feel like I wasn't alone in this world. so, overall, I don't think of my Pokemon as some kind of property, like so many others in Team Rocket... in my opinion, I think of my pokemon as brothers, and despite what others think of it, I feel better thinking about it...  
I was finished with my breakfast just before Blaziken, and I immediately got started with collecting his and my plates. Marshtomp shouted out, Raising his slightly messy bowl and plate, despite them being messy, they were also empty of any major foods, meaning that he was finished eating, but the problem I'm still having with him, is that he has most of the rice and sauce almost all over his face. I ended up having to wipe his face every time, until I can finally train him on using silverware, or how not to be so messy when he eats the way he usually does.

So anyways, I put the utensils, bowls and plates aside, and then I ask Marshtomp and Alakazam for help on washing the dishes. Marshtomp sprays water, and instead of just a fountain of water, all it was was just a small bubble, big enough to put my head and shoulders into. I remember seeing this on TV one time, except that the bubbles were much bigger, and that there were people and water Pokemon swimming and diving into them, Psychic Pokemon remained stationary on the sides so that they could focus on the water. It actually didn't take long for Alakazam to mimic it, and the result definitely comes in handy, allowing me to wash dishes without the need for Marshtomp to use too much energy spraying the water, and it helps me take care of doing dishes inside my quarters. Best part of all, is that hardly ANYONE knows about it. I've explained it to Giovanni, but he looked at me funny, my friends know about it, they don't tell anyone... Overall, not very many people know about what I do during mealtimes in my quarters, and it helped me feel better when everyone expected me to be a tough kid (despite my personality).

I checked the clock on my desk after washing the last plate, I then asked Alakazam to separate the water into small blocks, before Marshtomp was to use Ice Beam. I would put the resulting ice into the ice box in the Mess Hall, then be on my way to the workout room... which is usually empty when I get there. Marshtomp used Ice Beam, and I then put the ice in my large cooler, and just sat down... I still kept thinking about yesterday. I was Attacked, I heard a voice and it sounded so loud and clear then... but as I now try to remember it, it sounds hazy... but I still remember it...

_Eric Claid, higher ranking officer among the rockets, let this fire see you until the day you leave..._

It referred to me as a "higher ranking officer"... which might insinuate that I become an admin. But, what does it mean by "let the fire see you until you leave"? Then I think back on what Mike said in the hallway.  
_"...getting hit out of nowhere like that. I think someone is after you..."_

"Someone targeting me…" I muttered to myself. "I really hope that 'leaving' isn't the same as 'dying'..."

"Marr?" Marshtomp uttered next to me. "Mar mar?"

_'Dying?'_ Alakazam Translated. _'Targeting you?' that's a weird thought... what's wrong?_  
I recollected everything that happened yesterday when I got back to the chopper and about the dream I had. Then I proceeded to also explaining what happened at the Mess Hall with Mike. It didn't take long for me to finish, so I gave a moment of silence for the info to sink in.

"Blaze…" Blaziken spoke, grabbing my attention. Then with both hands, he traced out a rectangle, indicating a piece of paper... I raised an eyebrow, not understanding what he meant. He then glared at Alakazam, which gave me the idea that he probably was making a face at Blaziken of some kind of triumph. I found him cracking a very small smirk. He still has yet to make an effective poker face... so I figured something was up.

"Alakazam... you have something you want to explain to me?"

_No..._ He said automatically...

I narrowed my eyes... figuring he was gonna read my mind..._ Don't you give_ me_ that kind of crap, you're hiding something, I can tell. Now what was Blaziken trying to tell me?_

Alakazam clenched his teeth, frustrated... he summoned a piece of paper from my desk drawer, then he closed his eyes and unclenched his teeth. _I didn't want to tell... something is really wrong with you, but I didn't want you to be concerned._

I took the picture, and looked at it closely. I felt curious about it, because it looked like that of a beast's eye (Reading a lot of fantasy and sci-fi thrillers definitely have similar concepts). The Beast's Eye, which I've seen in so many fantasy fiction novels, looks like some regular red or orange colored eye, except that the pupil was narrowed, so that it looks like a black vertical slit in the eye. I looked up and down the sketch... and then I noticed sloppy handwriting that said "your eye".

"My eye??" I said, looking at Blaziken. Alakazam raised an eyebrow.

_I guess that's "all she wrote"..._ he thought spoke.

I felt like there was more to this... and then he pointed at me, and rotated his hand without moving the finger, indicating to flip it over. I found an additional word on the back of the paper, along with a couple of vertical scratches, the word said "Edge". I realized it was the riddle code that Blaziken and I used back when I wanted to know what he wanted to say to me only ( the funny part was, it was an optical illusion, an "Eye Trick") I tilted the paper's edge towards me, and it read a completely different message.

"That picture you saw… was the same thing I saw in your eye for a few minutes. Nobody else saw it, but HE knew. You know who I mean, but he wouldn't tell you for me."

I look at Blaziken square in the eye. His eyes looked down, half closed. Just that expression alone told me everything.

I didn't know what to say. I tried to picture my face with those kind of eyes... but it just didn't look right unless I had other features to go along with the look (like Fangs, for starters).

Alakazam was quiet, Blaziken was worried, and Marshtomp and Charizard remained neutral, maintaining the silence. It was a tense moment... and I felt as if someone has pressed the mute button...

"...Eric...."

"Huh?"

The silence had suddenly been interrupted, and I looked around wildly trying to figure out who said that...

_It's only Blaziken, no one else_ Alakazam said...

I frowned, still a little confused. _I would have SWORN it was English..._ I thought to myself.

*Beepbeepbeep, beepbeepbeep*

My PDA started going off, and I took a look and found that there's a new mail in my inbox...  
I opened the inbox, the mail was from Pete, a friend of mine who helped me through the rocket routine when I first joined Team Rocket, and also a member of the Club of kindness... I opened the letter, and scanned through it.

**Dude!! You gotta check your Rocket mailbox! Everyone's been talking about it, and I'm not gonna spoil it for you, hurry up! ******

**P.S. I guess yesterday hit you pretty bad, though. Because it's not often you're **_**late to the exercise room.**_

I read the last part twice, confused. "Late?" I said, looking at the clock. "Ahh, Shit!" I swore, finding that the clock read 8:13AM. I recalled Blaziken, then Alakazam, and Charizard. But when I reached for the last Pokeball, Marshtomp shook his head. I stopped, and then he started jumping up and down going "Marsh!" every time he jumped.  
I closed my eyes halfway and sighed. This wasn't the first time he did that, and I knew full well that it meant Marshtomp wanted a piggyback ride...

_Oh well,_ I thought._ I guess it's only fair with my being all mopey..._

"OK, OK..." I said, and crouched down slightly so that he was able to jump up on my back. I then made sure Marshtomp wouldn't fall off... and then I began jogging over to the grunts locker hall...

It didn't take too long for me to arrive at the locker hall, the place looks like an average hallway at a school. I couldn't really measure it very well, mainly because so many people were crowding it in the morning and evening, but there were always lockers lining up the walls, and in the middle of the hall was a series of Mailboxes on both sides each one had a number on it and mine was mailbox 64... But today was different because once I got there, everyone was staring at me... there were people talking elsewhere, but everyone who saw me just stared...

"What?" I said, feeling uneasy. "What's everyone looking at me for?"

"Uhh, didn't you know, sir?"

_Did he just call me __**sir**__??_ I thought, surprised… Nobody in the locker hall had EVER called me by a professional status… that must mean one thing. But I am not going to be sure about it until I get proof.

I walked past everyone (most of them stepped aside) to get to my mailbox at the middle of the hall... it ordinarily had my name on it, but it seemed that someone took my name sticker off of it, and all that was left was the number 64 on the door. I opened the small door, and only a small piece of folded paper was inside.

The paper had my name on the front of it... I unfolded it, only to find it as a note... from Giovanni!

_**Eric Claid, **__****_

_**Your latest accomplishment the day before has been a sure show of promise, Team Rocket really could use members like you to help run the less experienced members. Effective immediately, you have now been promoted to Administrator of Team Rocket. We hope to see your success reach new heights. **__****_

_**Giovanni.**_


	6. Chapter 5: Who'd have thought

Chapter 5: Who'd have thought…

I stared at the note for a good two minutes. _Promoted..._ I thought. _Me, an admin of Team Rocket. Making the record of the youngest Rocket grunt to be promoted… this is gonna be BIG news all over HP for sure. Funny how this came from only a series of successful mission, and not ONE failure… I'll be pissing off a few people, that's for sure._

*BEEEP…BEEEP…BEEEP*

I checked my PDA, and got an "Extended E-mail" larger than your average note of a mail… can only have five in an inbox) from Syrus.

_**Hey,**_

_**I already heard that you've made rocket history. Promoted at Sixteen… damn, kid, who'd have thought someone I treated roughly would rise that fast. I'm pretty proud of ya, and I'm in a good mood today, so I might as well explain to ya how promotion works before one of those grunts get sneaky.**_

The e-mail explained how the entire process worked, which was usually easy with most grunts. firstly, the newly made admin will sleep in a new quarters that comes complete with a small refrigerator, desk, and a bed with a mattress that's a lot more comfortable than that piece of ground the Grunts put up with (of course, it's a fold up bed, so I can put it up during waking hours). along with a closet that has half the old closet's length in _extra space_... and the old closet was like 2 to 4 meters, to think the new one's gonna be bigger, is just astounding.

_**Of course, everything you had up before this point will be transferred over to your new quarters, and with the stuff you might have, that won't take long.**_

I snickered at the thought of it, and then I read until I found out when the transfer takes place... it read that it's going on at this very moment, whenever I'm out. Unfortunately, that was something I _didn't_ expect, because there was something in there I _did not_ want anyone to see. 'Cause in my judgment, that was bad, considering when Team Rocket steals Pokémon and valuables for a living.

Marshtomp apparently fell asleep while I read the e-mail that explained the procedure, because he woke up with a start when I up and swore before running over to my old quarters... with Marshtomp still wrapping his arms around my neck.

I got to my quarters in minutes... and I was thankful nobody got here. I opened my desk drawer (the one closest to my former bunk-like bed in the wall), and found it, a small box that was able to hold a fully sized Pokeball lay on top of the junk and debris that used to be souvenirs of where I went. I opened the box, checking to see if it was in there... and it was. A thick, rainbow-like metal feather… sorta like a recolored form of Giovanni the Gym Leader's Earth badge, except it was fiery orange and red, with the opposite side of a bright reddish pink on the outlined center, and a sun-like yellow on the outer part of the outline. On the point, where the feather would be rooted to the body, was a small hole with a gold metallic necklace through it. Looking at this reminded me of a depressing moment last year... it was also the time I was finally shown the kind of cruelty Team Rocket gave.

***

Back then, I was not very talkative at all... I was quite the loner, mainly because I was just a kid. The Mission was a doozy, and while I saw many flaws in the plan, nobody listened to me... but it all started when I was on my first assignment in Team Rocket.

I was to follow the Team leader into the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town and help investigate about a rumor of some incredibly powerful Pokémon, said to be uncatchable, and to "escort" it to HQ. Ordinarily, Lavender Town was quiet, but that day was a celebration for the Pokemon Tower's anniversary. Most of the rumors dictated that only one of "pure heart" could meet the Pokemon (I, of course, laughed at how something from countless fantasy books could end up in something like this). Not surprising, everyone thought that this "pure heart" the rumors mentioned was supposed to infer bravery. I on the other hand, from reading fantasy books, knew that "Pure Heart" is usually measured by innocence and kindness... I gave them the benefit of the doubt, though, because I could have been wrong.

Now, though, when I look back at it... I wish I was.

The squad leader, three grunts and I were told to investigate about the Pokémon by asking a few locals and all we got were rumors. but despite them telling many stories (which I enjoyed listening to), all of them pointed toward the Pokemon Tower, which teemed of Ghost Pokemon... , it's also the burial ground for many Pokemon who pass away... some of them were young, as a matter of fact, who died of illness... I felt very uncomfortable about having to go into the tower, because let's face it, Ghost pokemon know how to make people jump. Hell, some of them even know how to make an average man yell... but a couple of the grunts threatened me that if I stayed behind, they would hunt me down... so I reluctantly came along. some of the rumors explained the Pokemon to be an ancient ancestor who wielded a club, and wore a warrior's mask... though it sounded like that of either a Cubone (who wears it's mother's skull as a protective helmet and holds a bone as it's weapon), or Marowak (Cubone's evolved form).

Naturally, I was pretty paranoid going up the tower… so paranoid that I wound up getting spooked at a Ghost Pokemon that appeared out of nowhere, and it caused me to fall through a hole in the ground. I found myself in some dark room, with only the faint light of above, and that of a neon glow stick light...

*BHSS* "damn, kid, you're starting to be one hell of a pain in the neck." the squad leader said over the cheap radio I was forced to wear (one earpiece, small cord, then a small walkie talkie in my shirt pocket, again, VERY cheap, and the earpiece didn't even fit, too big for my ear).

"Sorry sir..." I said, ashamed.

The team leader sighed, "it's not your fault, kid. this place is givin' me the creeps as well. Try and get back to the entrance, we'll see you there."

"Y-yes s-sir" I said nervously...

The radio signal stopped, and I looked around. The room I seemed to have fallen into had three ways, up, left, and right. When I looked right, there was a wooden door that seemed to be loose, and on the left, it looked like there was some kind of tunnel going that way. I figured I'd try the one thing everyone would do... and that was to test the door first.

*rettle-rettle-rettle...KAK*

I shook the door hard, to see if it would open, and instead of opening it, I found myself holding the doorknob in my hand.

"Who the hell comes up with these things!?" I shouted in frustration. I kicked the door, obviously pissed off.

*KRRKK*

I froze, trying to think if what I heard was right. If what I heard was right, the door was cracking, and if it had more impacts like that, it would give way.

I kicked it again.

*WHAM...WHAM, WHAM, WHAM*

I kicked it twice, I kicked it three more times, and damn, that was one hell of a strong door... I then go ready to jump kick the door, I crouched down, I jumped up, and kicked out with both legs... and hit nothing.

*Poomph*

I landed hard on my side on the wooden floor, the fall knocked the wind out of me, and it took a few seconds before I got up. I checked the door, and found it to be opened... not broken, just opened.

"Why me?" I groaned. "Why does it have to be me...?"

I looked at the inside of the room, and it suddenly looked extra fancy. There was a feast on a grand table, there was a glass chandelier up top, and the red rugs and fancy wall paper would make anyone's day. Even the door I went through looked fancy and new, no holes or anything and I found it to be fancy enough to many people's needs... except mine.

I then backtracked and looked at the door of the dark room. By close inspection, there seemed to have been holes in the door, enough for a regular pencil to poke through. I looked through the hole, and all I saw was white... I looked around the dusty, dark room, and began to think...  
_what can go through that hole in the door...?_ I thought. There were quite a few things that could go through the door, but not long enough to be noticeable. I then sent out my Psychic Pokemon, Kadabra (who we all know is Alakazam). Kadabra was standing straight; I poked my head three times, indicating thoughts.

_OK, I'm noticing that something is wrong with this picture. One side of that door is where we are now_ I thought, letting Kadabra hear, and pointed towards the door._ Then we go past the door, and EVERYTHING is extra fancy. I think it's come kind of illusion, but I have no current way of proving it, any ideas?_ I gestured while I was talking, when I was done, I shrugged. I then looked at Kadabra, waiting for an answer.

Kadabra broke a long strip from the wooden floor using Confusion, and levitated to me. _This'll work_ I thought, nodding. Kadabra nodded, I was still trying my best to converse with him, but every time I try, he just stays silent.

_I don't understand, Kadabra. Don't you know how to use telepathy?_

He looked at me with a curious face; I then put four fingers together, and clapped them with my thumb, indicating talking. Then I poked my head, indicating thought. "Thought talking" was the initial meaning...

Kadabra opened his mouth, and then closed it again, as if to give an "ash" of understanding. His eyes glowed blue for a moment, and then he looked at me.

_to be perfectly honest, I find this to be a little strange... conversing with you just feels a little awkward..._ he said with a voice that sounded like a man of roughly 21 to 27.

_Still..._ I replied._ I personally think it helps having you guys as company when none of the rocket members are around..._

_OK, now are you going to use that stick or not_

"Oh, that's right." Whoops, I must have gotten distracted...

OK, so I put the stick through the hole in the door… and I found that it wasn't even halfway in there, until it stopped on something...

I raised an eyebrow, and tried to poke it. but let's face it, I'm a teen, I'm getting close too adulthood. So when I was poking whatever was stopping the stick, I realized I was doing something that some considered creepy, and what some would also call funny (don't think about it too hard). I found myself looking through the door to see what was on the other side, and instead of a white blankness, it was an eye looking back.

I found myself rooted to the spot. who would make the first move...? I felt like wanting to, but for some reason, I felt like maybe I shouldn't. So I just stood there, with the only movement being silent breaths, and blinking occasionally... suddenly something poked my leg, making me jump.

"ACK!!" I yelped, and made an instant 180. I didn't know what poked me, was it another ghost Pokemon, was it just some falling object??

_It's only me._ Kadabra said.

I let out a sigh of relief. feeling the tension relax, I checked the peephole in the door again, and suddenly something was emanating from somewhere, and the eye that looked back looked funky, but I couldn't make out the details... it almost seemed to have said something...

_I may not know who you might be, human. but it matters not since you'll stay with me forever... and ever._

"for..ever....and...ever..." I seemed to repeat, as I found I was staring into something red.

What's wrong with me, my head suddenly felt as if full of clouds... I felt relaxed my body opened the door, but I didn't want...to.

I felt like I was in a paradise... I felt all my worries melt away, my eyelids wanted to close, and I found that I was the one who came here... and if I wanted, I could stay... in paradise... for as long as I wanted.

_What the-- Eric, ERIC, what's wrong with you!?_ Something said, disturbing my peace. _You're not yourself! Snap out of it!_ The voice sounded scared, and I wasn't in the mood for it... go away, you stupid voice.

Just...go away...

_you've been hit with Hypnosis_ the voice said, _you need to focus! FOCUS, ERIC, FOCUUUS!!_

Suddenly, I felt a pain in my head, and all of a sudden, I found myself questioning where this "paradise" came from. What's up with me, how'd I get here, where'd Kadabra go? I planted one hand on my forehead in an effort to fight the pain in my head. Then I felt it, some kind of a pressure was giving push in my head, and I felt that weird feeling again as the push was getting stronger. I started clutching my head with both hands, in an effort to shove back. I now realized that I was _not_ in some paradise, and I fought back with the same thought.

_out of my head, out of my head, Out of my head..._

I felt like I was waking up from a dream, its working!

_Out of my head out of my head out of my head out of my head out of my head!_ I said it faster, and then I started pushing the feeling back further.

_OUTOFMYHEAD OUTOFMYHEAD OUTOFMYHEAD OUTOFMYHEAD!! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!_ I felt like I was swinging fists at some enemy, and by the time I got the last bit in, I felt like myself again, landing on Planet Earth. My vision started out fuzzy, but after the blurring went away, I found myself in a somewhat clean room; it looked like the fancy room, only that it's very old. The chandelier was rusted, the carpet was torn.

It was as I figured, it was an illusion. But the question was, who did it?

_You... I have to admit of your strong will... but someday, your curiosity will be your doom._

I gulped. "Y-yeah? Well unl-less that happens, I-I'll b-be fine for n-now." yeah, I was scared, if you think about it, it would make sense. I mean, whoever (or whatever) it was tried to take control of me. If it wasn't for Alakazam, then I would have not been able to meet the rest of the team... which is not of any importance at the moment... what I want to know is who or what was it.

_You have courage, that's good... especially when someone of your age comes into this place... you aught to be honored, boy._

"Where are you? I want to see who you are..."

_Who... nobody who's come here ever considered me a "whom". But if I do show myself, will you tell others?_

I deactivated my mic, and I took it off. "This device is the only method of communication between me and the others." I placed the mic and the radio box on the floor. I thought about bringing out Kadabra for that, but I didn't because I didn't want be dishonest.

A mist appeared... and before I thought about wearing a pair of Silph Co. Vision enhancement goggles, the mist revealed itself.

It was just as I figured. The somewhat dog-headed Pokemon was brown skinned, stood on two legs, and wore a skull for a helmet, I identified the Pokemon as Marowak, the evolved form of Cubone. The only thing that was missing, though, was the bone, the bone that every average Marowak uses as a weapon.

"Marowak, huh? so the rumors _are_ true."

_"yes, they are true"_ The Marowak spoke like a human adult, like someone in their late thirties or early forties, except it felt wispy, like as if it were a ghost...

Wait a minute... COULD it be a ghost??

I looked at the Marowak, sizing it up. If I were someone else, someone who wanted to take this pokemon, they wouldn't have much trouble without it having a weapon. But on the contrary, this one seems a little different from the rest, so who knows what surprises this one might have.

I finished sizing it up, and it looked at me curiously...

_"You know... for a boy your age, you haven't made any effort to start a battle..."_ Marowak said. _"Why is that?"_

"I personally see no good enough reason to justify battling you." I said solemnly. "The illusion, the hypnosis, they're both just a defense... I see no good enough reason to attack if you didn't do anything wrong..."

Marowak closed its eyes... as if thinking about something.

Somewhere in the distance, I suddenly felt a mixture of joy and sorrow. The feeling felt weird, it was if I was enjoying myself, yet I'm mourning about something else... I frowned at the feeling.

Marowak looked at me with some kind of interest all of a sudden..._ "Do you feel OK?"_

"uhh, I'm not sure..." I said honestly, and described the feeling I had with Marowak. Marowak looked solemn after I finished...

_"I guess he's grown up, now..." the Pokemon said..._

"huh"?

_"Haven't you wondered why I don't have a bone shaped club in my hand?"_

"yeah, I have, actually..." I said.

_"You humans already know that when a Descendant of our kind is born, the offspring is granted the skull helmet of their mother..."_ Marowak explained

_not just most humans know that, EVERYONE knows that._ I thought, before I said. "Okay..." in the rising tone that indicates the speaker to continue.

_"But not very many humans know that the bone that the Cubone uses is from their father."_

"What??" I said, surprised.

OK, to be perfectly honest, I HAVE remembered speculation about that in the Research section of this magazine I subscribe to (called Poke-Trainer's monthly). According to the article, the famous Pokemon professor of all time, Professor Samuel Oak, stated evidence that the bone that the average Cubone's weapon is thicker than a Female. but a few students disagreed with the prof., and also stated that the density of the bone matches with that of the mother, despite it being used for it's entire life... so whether the bone was from the father or the mother remained a mystery to scientists...

but now I heard the truth, coming from a Marowak (I sound crazy, don't I) and he told me his descendant was given the weapon that this Marowak's father used... which I reckon is very thick.

my eyes began to move from side to side, as if I was taking in everything that was given...

"So, you're able to talk human, why don't you educate any scholars who are curious about it?"

Then it happened...

Marowak looked at me funny._ "Talk human, you mean you can understand me?"_

Damn, I look back on it now, and I still find how creepy that is... most Pokemon, when they speak, doesn't comprise any more than of their name... when they speak, they sound as if they were breaking down their name. Personally, I find that to be weird... but to find another Pokemon that I could actually "Talk" to (long story short, Team Rocket had a Meowth that could talk, though he was part of a trio of failures, I kinda felt sorry for him), is kinda scary to think about. to make matters worse, this Pokemon tells me that he's talking to me in his native speech... meaning anyone else would be hearing me... and a "Maro maro marowak marowak maro" and to find I could supposedly understand Pokemon, is nothing short of creepy.

I found myself speechless and completely still. Marowak also looked surprised at realizing this. Then he walked over to a small chest, and pulled out a chain with the feather pendant that I now have. He handed it to me, and I felt confused.

"Err"

_"I was told to give this to the human that seems to fit the criteria."_ Marowak said, pacing away, then he turned towards me again. _"And... could you do me a favor?"_

Now I really am surprised. If Marowak had that kind of vocabulary, he could learn in a human school if he learned to speak English.

"Erm, sure" I said, hesitant.

_"In that chest where I got the pendant, there's something else I would like you to give to someone..."_

I walked over to the chest. The chest didn't look like much, just a formerly padlocked wooden box. When I opened the chest, I found something that caught me by surprise when I took a closer look. It was a bone, just a regular foot long, four inch thick bone, with one pointed end, as if used for a small club. What caught my attention, though. Was that it looked like it was lined with metal. On each side, there were five lines, about a centimeter wide, of silver lining the bone. I considered it to be a Lucky Bone, frankly because it was not exactly the kind of bone one would expect on the body. I picked up the bone, turning it around a few times, marveling at the brownish white, and silver swirl that it seemed to put on from a distance.

_"I would feel more at peace if you were to deliver it to my offspring... I think you humans would call him a 'son', right?"_

"uh-huh..." I said, inferring the word "yes".

_"Every festival that you humans have here gives him a chance to visit me, but I feel that he doesn't want to move on in life. I still want the same thing everyone would want of their offspring, and that is to be happy"_

Let's face it, I feel like I'm in some storybook, so I knew what he wanted.

"OK, I understand." I said simply...

_"be aware of one thing, though."_ Marowak said._ That pendant, the one you now possess. If a time is right, you'll be able to grant assistance to more than just your human peers."_

I made an "hmmm" sound as I tried to interpret what that meant... but then the Marowak started to look transparent. I was caught off guard as I knew that he was leaving.

_"Farewell, Eric Claid, I will never forget your Kindness..."_

A second later, Marowak faded away, his message passed on... I held the bone and turned it around two more times. As I turned it a second time, however, something occurred to me.

_Wait a minute, where can I find this Pokemon's grave?_ I thought in realization... and then the answer came to me as soon as the question arose._ Wait, tonight marks a festival. That Cubone should be somewhere around here._

I looked around, and found a door on the other side of the room, I went through it, but found myself outside. I looked back, confused, but then noticed I was somewhere else from the tower.

"Back entrance, I guess." I said to myself. I tried to think on where to go, I started scratching my head with the hand that seemed to have held the bone... I started to walk around. Maybe I might find a way up if I can... "uhhhh"

*BOONK* "OWW"

Catching me by surprise, something clubbed my head, hard enough to send me reeling with stars messing with my vision.

"Grave Robber! Grave Robber!" Someone shouted.

I was stunned for a minute, so I couldn't respond immediately. All I was able to tell was that the voice sounded like a kid about aged seven or eight, with a kind of southern accent (with "Grave Robber" sounding like "Grave Robbuh").

"Wha... What??" I said, startled and dazed.

"Grave Robber! That bone don't belong to you!" the voice kept jeering  
I managed to get ahold of myself, I looked around swiftly, to figure out who clubbed me.

*BOONK*

I was hit from behind, and I made a 180. but nobody was in front of me...

"You must be a pretty tough guy not to be knocked out from that." the voice spoke again. "don't matter, Grave Robber, That bone ain't yours!"

I looked down, and found a small Pokemon with a similar Skull that a Marowak uses for a helmet, except the eyes were shadowed due to the helmet being a bit too big. It was a Cubone, but was it the one I was looking for?

"Hey, Tell me. do you visit this tower often?"

Cubone nodded. "I come here every month to visit my Pa, he passed away last year, and he feels peaceful when I come."

I thought of what Marowak wanted me to do... this Pokemon feels lonely without his Pop, and I can definitely understand how sad he must have been feeling, but still, I promised him something.

"'Cause yeses, this bone doesn't belong to me, I'll agree with that."

"Hah, I knew it, you THIEF!!" Cubone stopped then. "Wait, why are you telling me this?"

I crouched down and held out the bone to him, "Because this actually belongs to _you_"

"For _me_? why, I didn't ask for this... it ain't mine." Cubone looked confused.

"Because you're Pa would want you to have it. He asked me to give this to you." I let Cubone take the bone from my hand. when he looked at it, his eyes looked watery.

"My...My Pa wanted me to have this?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure he would feel proud to have an offspring that enjoys life at its best. places to explore, characters to meet, even adventures to go on." I started acting like some tough guy when I mentioned adventure, I felt glad to see him happy, those little heartwarming moments just never get old.

"CLAID, WHERE WERE YOU!?" I heard a voice roar from a distance behind me.

I realized who it was immediately. I gasped in realization, for if Cubone was anywhere near them, it would mean trouble.

"Quick, you got to hide, I don't want you to get hurt, please, hide." I whispered to Cubone, who was looking curiously past me.

"but I want to meet your friends." Cubone Protested.

"Please, I don't want you to get hurt!"

Cubone walked past me, in an attempt to greet the other rocket members. the commanding officer looked down, and plucked the bone out of Cubone's hands...

"Well, what do us have here, a Cubone with a precious artifact. Good work, kid." The commanding Officer said

"Hey, that's mine, give it back!" Cubone cried, hopping up and down, trying to reach the bone.

"Heh, thanks, you little weasel." the Officer said, before kicking Cubone a few feet away.

I looked in sympathy as Cubone landed, crying because of what the leader did to him...

I felt angry at the officer, and I instantly Snatched the bone from the officer and chucked the bone.

"Go on, Cubone!" I shouted.

Cubone hesitated, and gave me a painfully sad look that told me he felt hurt with what happened... and then he turned his back and ran, leaving me to realize what Team Rocket really was, and to feel upset with what I've done...

........

I kept looking at the pendant. ever since that event last year, I never managed to understand Pokemon since... at least, not vocally. I managed to train Kadabra on using telepathy occasionally... and at one time, Mike and I swapped pokemon for a specific mission, when Kadabra came back, he came back as Alakazam.

I continued to gaze at the pendant. I wondered if it was some kind of dream... it felt like it was, despite it being real when I thought about it. but, I still had plenty of questions that needed to be answered... but I gave up on them months later.

*PumPumPum*

I was taken out of my trance when the door was knocked. I figured it must be the grunts who were going to move my stuff.

"Come in." I said simply.

As I expected, three grunts were waiting at my door, standing the usual stance they would at any superior officer.

"Mr. Claid, Sir, We would appreciate it, if you could please vacate the room as we transfer your belongings..."

I pocketed the pendant with its case, and folded my hands behind my waist to display professional posture. "OK, then, but I demand you be extra careful with everything that's being transferred." I warned them. "Because if I find _anything_ of mine broken, it will come out of each of your pays. While it may not be much of a deduction, it's there to remind you to be extra careful with my stuff. Is that Clear?"

"Yes, Sir." all three said at once.

"Alright. I'll leave you three to it, then." I said, feeling proud, I almost let it get to my head before I remembered something. "Oh, and where would my new quarters be located?"

"Acrossed from Ms. Domino's room, sir." one of the grunts said.

despite my being promoted, my being able to command the lesser grunts, and treat them as I please, I felt my stomach lurch at hearing that. Code name "009" (double-oh-nine) Domino, AKA the "Black Tulip". was one of the most irritating admins I know of. because she constantly brags about how she doesn't need Pokemon to get a job done, even to Syrus himself (who doesn't mind, to my utter amazement). To make matters worse, she's been frequently giving me rotten looks and condescending lectures when I walk off to the exercise room and give my usual beating to the punching bag...

"uh, o-oh...." I said with a kind of tone that says "I wish I didn't ask", and Walked off over to the admin's mess hall to meet the Club of Kindness... since all of the admins prefer to eat in their quarters, the admin's mess hall has been considered abandoned. so even the grunts that are part of the club can enter without getting in trouble... still, to find myself a neighbor to _Domino_, I just hoped that she wasn't as intrusive as I keep hearing, because with the kind of things I do, she would do everything in her right to make my life miserable...

if there's something I hope will happen, I hope meeting the Club might help my nerves settle down...


	7. Chapter 6: Small Talk

NOTE: for those who notice, I have officially made this chapter the first one to start using that accented "é" in "Pokémon"

Chapter 6: Small Talk

I decided to release Alakazam and Blaziken to keep me company while I walked down the hall. I also felt like wearing the pendant for today, so I kept the box that contained it in my pocket as we were walking down the halls. I explained what happened.

_So, did they tell you where you were going to be located?_ Alakazam asked.

I sighed, figuring it inevitable. "I'm stuck with the Pizza Lady…"

_You mean Domino?_ Alakazam looked about ready to laugh. _You do realize how much fun Marshtomp's gonna have when he sees you putting up with her, right?_

"Ugh, why do I always find that there isn't much good stuff without the bad being even worse…" I groaned

_Hey, look on the bright side; at least you aren't stuck with Syrus._

I felt as if Gravity had been doubled in my thoughts, causing me to start grumbling. Like it or not, Alakazam made a big point mentioning Syrus… because despite my being understanding, well prepared for any problem, and being obedient on the field, when I'm OFF the field, he and I can find each other at one another's throats. Often times, it's a Pokémon Battle (which I excel in) but other times it might end up a fistfight, and depending where we are, it could go both ways… most of the time, I end up losing the fistfights because I'm at a physical disadvantage, and I usually work extra hard at the punching bag because of it (Although I do happen to pull a surprise or two in a fight).

But if I were stuck near Syrus's room under bad terms, then he would do _everything_ possible to get me in trouble, and he has enough motive to do so since I creamed when I faced him for the first time in a double battle. Hell, he would usually put me on a cleaning duty if he feels confident that he can handle the mission without me (which can happen, to my irritation, and the minute he starts gloating about it, I whack him across the face with whatever solid object I'm cleaning with when he looks away). In fact, months ago, he's requested occasionally that I get discharged immediately, Giovanni refuses every time.

The Bottom Line, if I were stuck with Domino (who I call the Pizza Lady because of a business that makes a pun out of it), then I won't have much risk aside from an occasional invasion of privacy. Syrus on bad terms would possibly try to get me killed (and he's tried before, I swear to god at least…practically). Still, after an incident where I wound up saving his hide from being arrested in Saffron City, we managed to get along after that (we're still rivals in Pokémon, though. But at least we're friendly rivals).

I finally reached a set of double doors with a small sign that said "ADMIN" up above them.

Blaziken then spoke to me, and I looked at Alakazam. _"don't forget, dude. At least you won't have to deal with this alone."_ Alakazam translated.

"Yeah," I said, putting my right hand on the right side of the doors, "you're right about that…  
I pushed open the doors.

*POPPOPOPOP, POP POP POP POPOPOPOP*

I jumped at suddenly hearing firecrackers exploding close by. But through all the confetti, everyone seemed to have been applauding… except one, Syrus (yes, in case anyone asks, Syrus IS in the club of Kindness, he may not be as kind as everyone else, but he has morals he won't cross).

"Dude, you made it!"

"YEAH, WOOOO!!"

"Admin Claid, congrats, Kid!"

"E-ric, E-ric, E-ric…!!"

I felt a lot better at seeing everyone applauding for me, and it definitely should be a moment to feel proud. I mean, not just ANYONE can become an admin, so becoming one is definitely a good reason to party with friends, at least to commemorate (to remember) the event.

I looked around, it seemed everyone was here. Mike, with a bit of a flat head of hair, somewhat goofy looking face (even if he has a neutral look, unless he's frowning, he always looks like he's smiling) and his Pokémon partner (known as Golem, like a giant rock ball with a curved head, and arms and limbs that can be brought into it's rock "shell" before it can start rolling) mingling (socializing) with Blaziken. A grunt by the name of Sam, one of two females in the club of kindness, with reddish brown eyes that could switch from innocent to fierce in an instant, Blonde hair, has somewhat of a schoolgirl kind of look and attitude (slightly pointed chin, small facial notes, very slim, almost boney, and has quite a bit of a girly kind of feel that would suggest her parents called her an angel…a LOT), her Pokémon Partner is Bellossom. Frank, almost looks like this pessimistic actor I've seen in a few movies, always looking at the glass half empty, and his face is kinda lull looking (opposite of Mike's, unless he's smiling big, then he looks like he's always frowning), his Pokémon, Hypno, has quite a habit of trying to hypnotize someone (unfortunately, I end up as the victim of most of them, but I've managed to handle it enough times to be almost considered immune, though I stress on "Almost").

Then there was the second female, her name was Nikki, a bit of a shy person when if you happen to be a stranger, but once you get to know her, she's a lot of fun to be around. She's usually been my main source of entertainment when someone gets a little goofy, because she goes into the habit of insulting people's mamas, as a joke of course (though I find it funnier if it was actually serious). Syrus looked different today, his ordinarily aqua blue hair looked more of an . Plus, it seemed like he changed his wardrobe again, wearing his usually blue dark blue shirt, but instead of the white jacket with blue waves to match his shirt, he had a jacket that also has red droplets (uh oh, blood) along with regular, and his pants have blue and red droplets with a puddle design of the two colors swirling at the bottom (near the feet)… Syrus's eyes were closed, and he had a lollipop in his mouth, judging from the little white stick…

I suddenly remembered that there was something else to think about.

"Hey, where's the new member?" I asked openly, everyone paused.

"AWWW…" Mike said loudly, as if I just killed the fun.

"You just missed him." Nikki told me, "He was just sent out for a mission, so he's probably not going to be here today."

I closed my eyes halfway, and put on an exaggerated face. "Bogus…" I said with a surfer's kind of accent.

"I know, right…?" Mike said, playing along with the accent.

"Buummer, dude." Sam followed up.

"Ah well," I said, still with the accent. "I'll make him lunch when he, like, comes tomorrow… but with tomorrow's plans set aside…" I started to look towards Mike and Frank, "I know one thing to do right now."

Mike jumped up to his feet; Frank sat where he was and sighed. Mike and I then thrust out our backs, wrists and fists directed upwards, as if ready to tackle someone (or ready to rip a big one, if you know what I mean), and yelled "PARTY ON, DUUUDES!!" simultaneously before giving each other a high five…  
"Party on with yo mama!" Nikki blurted out,

"No, YO MAMA!" I retorted playfully

"NO, YO MAMA!!" She screamed with a goofy face and a laugh. Then we locked knuckles, like a gangster's handshake.

I decided to go ahead and let the Pokémon mingle with everyone… as for me, I then got up and walked towards the kitchen to see what we had available for me to cook with. There's enough to make plenty of different dishes, but the fruit flavored vegetable juice was running out, so I guess I'll have to run to the store when I find time and good enough motive. I then stopped and oddly felt a little warm in the face. I wiped off the sweat and took a drink of water, and I felt fine afterwards. I walked out and turned to look at everyone.

"OK, today's a special day, which calls for a special meal." I announced, "So, any suggestions?"

Everyone looked at each other.

"You still want to cook?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, I usually prefer to cook…" I replied. Because yeah, I usually am the cook of the club, and I subscribe to not just Pokémon, but also a few recipe magazines, one for breakfast, two for lunch or dinner, and one for various desserts, including gourmet. Oh yeah, and all of them have small side sections for snacks and side dishes (I also subscribe to a weekly E-mail newsletter).

"Dude, why go through the trouble? We decided to order Pizza." Mike said with a neutral face.

My eyes widened. "Seriously??" I said. One more thing, pizza was probably one of my favorite things to eat during a party, and while I tried making pizza before, I never managed to get that kind of taste the local pizza place had. So, if it was party time, and we wanted something, we would usually order from the pizza place…

"Yeaah, so keep on drooling, kid." Mike said, with that kind of pleased "ohh, yeeeaah" kind of tone.

I realized, though, that I was drooling… I then closed my mouth, and wiped the saliva off my face. I then smiled, because everyone felt happy about having something different.

"Heh heh, last time I remember having Pizza was when we had that Rocket Pokémon tourney last month, and We WON!" an unfamiliar deep voice spoke.

I looked around, finding the source of that voice. The sound came from where Blaziken and Golem were socializing; I kept looking for a moment.

"Damn, I still remember that last battle." What the hell, was that _Golem_?? "You were on the ropes, and that Blastoise managed to freeze the ground, but then Eric made a crazy attempt at defense by telling you to use Fire Spin on yourself, snatched you the battle when the sucker used Hydro Pump."

Holy crap, I must be losing it, I am actually hearing what Golem and Blaziken were actually saying. I took out the pendant from under my shirt and Stared at it, then at the Pokémon, then back again.

_"Be aware of one thing"_ Marowak's voice echoed in memory, _'That pendant, the one you now possess. If the time is right, you'll be able to grant assistance to more than just your human peers."_

_Was this that "right time" that Marowak mentioned??_ I thought, stunned, but mostly panicked.  
Golem noticed the look on my face, and laughed. "Hey, dude, your trainer looks like he's seen a ghost."

Whoa, whoa damn, it can't be possible, how the hell is this happening. It happened with a ghost, and I thought it wasn't real the next day. To have it happen twice, you'll start to wonder if it WAS real… often times you'll think you're going crazy.

"Hey, dude, your trainer looks like he's seen a ghost." I copied, except with a kind of monotone… because if most people would think they're crazy, then I think I'm one of those people.

"Seriously, is he still thinking about that hit on him??"

"Seriously, is he still thinking about that hit on him…?"

Golem started looking at me funny, Blaziken was stupefied.

"Is it just me, or is Eric actually copying you?" Blaziken said, with a voice that sounded like a seasoned 43 to 46 year old war general who was two or three years retired.

I felt like my brain stopped working. I could not think, I could not move, I just stood there, flipped out and confused, copying what the POKÉMON were actually saying!

"Is it just me… or is Eric actually copying you….?"

Now more than just those two were staring at me. Alakazam noticed as well and levitated to my side, where I could see him at the edge of my eye, and so did Frank, who got up a little confused.

_Um, Eric, are you OK? _He asked in thought speech. I didn't respond at all… Alakazam then turned to Blaziken.

"Blaziken, what's going on with Eric?" he said vocally, with the same voice as his thought speech.

"Blaziken, what's going on with Eric?" I mimicked, feeling so pale in the face that I would be thought as the friendly ghost going through a shocked and frozen looking puberty.

"Holy shit, man, you look like a damn ghost!!" Syrus shouted just before he fell backwards laughing… judging from the thudding sound

"Erm, Alakazam," Sam said nervously, "W-what's going on with Eric?"

_You know something, Sam, I have no idea…_ Alakazam replied with an open thought speak that everyone can hear.

I don't know what was going on until I suddenly heard the door open. Immediately I was snapped out of my trance, and I started speed walking towards the kitchen area to find something to do.

I got out some strips of Bacon, and put them under some paper towels before putting them in the microwave oven for a few minutes. I took off the pendant and laid it next to the microwave… and then I just sat there, trying to think about what just happened… I actually heard the Pokémon as if they were human, I don't know how, I don't know…wait…

"I was told to give this to the human that fits that seems to fit the criteria." I echoed aloud. Criteria, now I start to wonder: what's this criterion…?

"Blaze…" I heard Blaziken speak from the entrance.

"Huh?" I looked up, and noticed Blaziken standing at the door, Alakazam levitating next to him, except he was staring at the Microwave…or…

_Eric, is that?_ He inquired.

_Yeah, it is._ I answered. _I didn't want the mover grunts to steal that, so I took it with me._

Alakazam's eye thinned out, as if something was occurring to him. _Let's test something…_

I looked at him curiously, and then he picked up the pendant and levitated it to my feet. I reached out to pick it up.

_Don't, I want to test something. Now…_ He said, stopping me.

"Ala ala alakazam ala…" He spoke vocally.

"Huh??" I noted, confused. _Was I really going crazy?_ I thought to myself. Just a minute ago, I was able to understand Pokémon as if they spoke human, their mouths proved it, because they moved as if they were speaking human. I looked at Alakazam square in the eye.

_Care to Explain?_ I asked intently.

_Put on the pendant_ He instructed.

Then it hit me, it's the pendant! There's something about that pendant that allows me to understand Pokémon. But, wait, IS it the pendant? I put the thin golden chain across my neck, looking at it for a couple of seconds...

_Now, I ask again._ Alakazam said.

"Can you understand me…?" He said, vocally, and this time I understood…

I felt the kind of TV shock were the eyes of someone would look like they shrunk to little beads. I nodded slowly to my Psychic Pokémon, and answered him.

"Yeah… I understand you." I murmured

"OK, then." He concluded, "It's definitely got something to do with that pendant of yours. One way or another, you're gonna have to guard that jealously, but you probably knew that already." He smiled, supposedly trying to make me feel better. I smiled back, because I really did feel better.

All of a sudden, though, I felt warm... not like the fuzzy feeling of happiness, but like a warming feeling, like I'm under some kind of heater all over. I looked around, and I found none of the Pokémon was using Heat Wave and I know the stove, heater or oven wasn't on because this heat wasn't coming towards me from those… and before I could think of where it came from, I… suddenly felt relaxed… I tried to tense up, and find out if…but……my eyelids were starting to feel heavy…

"Eric, you OK?" Blaziken said…

"I feel….slehhpehhh…" I mumbled, starting to fall asleep… I thought about something, but…  
_Don't worry, it isn't Hypno, though I do think you are a bit stressed… _Alakazam reassured me._ This "warmth" you feel must be something trying to help you relax._  
I then felt, not sleepy, but now a little funky, and it's hard to describe the feeling. It's almost like a chill going down your spine, except it was all over the body. Starting from the head, down to the shoulders, then it felt like an electric charge, buzzing all through me. I felt oddly stiffened in the arms, I felt cramped, and I felt more alert for something. Then I just knew, somehow, I felt different, as if I've been changed somehow. Though I don't know what... the strange warmth dissipated, and I felt back in control of myself.

I didn't feel relaxed anymore. It was only two and a half minutes, and I didn't hear any breathing nearby, so I guess my Pokémon joined the crowd.

Now feeling full of energy, I walked out of the kitchen, with everyone briefly glancing at me… except for some guy sitting at a far table with an Umbreon. The Umbreon looked at me with a neutral face. "Who're you?" the Pokémon asked with a bit of a shady kind of voice.  
"An Umbreon, huh? Name's Eric, nice to meet you."

Umbreon nodded, the guy looked at me when I turned towards him, the guy looked kinda darkish, had jet black hair, all messy and uncombed, he also had a bit of a face that could make someone think either abused or poor, pale faced towards the cheeks, a bit of a slightly flat nose, medium thick eyebrows, and Cloudy grey eyes that look enigmatic, mysterious, he was sitting on the seat with his left leg bent close to him with his left arm resting on it, and his right leg slacked off to the floor with his right arm relaxed on the table, bent at ninety degrees.

"What do you want?" he said, sounding like your ordinary high school dude, of maybe seventeen to eighteen. The tone he gave me, though, was that as if I was intruding on something.

"Oh," I said, caught off guard with the tone, I reached out my right hand and smiled. "My name's Eric Claid, nice to meet you."

The dude turned his head right. Not shaking my hand, and was silent for a moment…

"Kevin… and he's my Umbreon…" he said a few seconds later.

I withdrew my hand and easily got the impression immediately. He wasn't in the mood to socialize.

"Oh, not interested in talking for a bit, huh?" I said. "OK, I'll leave you alone, then."

I walked away for a moment, then turned back towards him. He still leered at me when I gave him a sympathetic look, though he snorted and turned his head away. I flinched, a little concerned. _Wow, what's his problem?_ I thought irritably before walking away.

"Hey! Eric, right?" I heard Umbreon call from behind. I turned around and crouched down to meet the ominously colored Pokémon's large, red colored eyes. "That Golem said you can now understand what a Pokémon really says, is that true?"

Y'know, despite it being a big adjustment to get used to this ability, I was actually a bit more comfortable with the fact I can now socialize with other Pokémon vocally. Perhaps it's because I socialize with Alakazam often that helped, who knows (and now that I think about it, who cares? I can talk to Pokémon, how awesome is THAT!?)

"Yeah, I can. Took me by surprise, but yeah, I can understand you guys now." I replied with a neutral face.

"What's an Admin?" he asked. "I kept hearing that it's like some superiority among you humans, and that you became one. But, what exactly _is_ an 'Admin'?"

I guess that's understandable for someone not to know how the ranks work here, even I don't understand them, because I only know of two ranks, Grunt, the regular henchmen that get the dirty stuff and usually the rougher jobs, and Administrator like the second in command, who control the grunts… but there can be quite a few admins to start with. The only other rank is the boss, who supposedly founded Team Rocket to begin with (don't ask me how it got so damn HUGE, though).

I explained it to Umbreon as best I could, when I was finished explaining, I added "I'm not a hundred percent sure if those are the only two positions for an average guy, but who knows."  
Umbreon was silent then. I wondered if I gave him the right information, I didn't really give him a clear enough picture, in my opinion I didn't.

"Interesting," Umbreon said, "Doesn't seem like there's that much order in this organization, huh?"

"Nope, I guess not." I said with a smile on my face, raising my left eyebrow in a more positive "Oh well" gesture.

*BUM BUM BUM*

I noticed that the doors were being knocked; I walked over there and opened them.

"Hey, Kid. Come on, the Boss wants to talk to you." It was Domino, standing in front of me, and it seems she was serious.

I, of course, didn't hesitate to state my opinion. "Err, Domino… isn't this a little sudden?" I said, trying to slow her down. "What does Giovanni want this time?"

Domino thinned her eyes, glaring at me. "You know something, I ain't tellin' ya." She said, copping an attitude, "now round up your Pokémon, and let's go now."

I felt like slapping her across the face for saying that. "Oh sure, round up my freaking Pokémon, like they're freaking Miltank on a farm…" I grumbled as I walked away. When I reached the group, I took out Charizard's Pokéball and sighed.

"Boss man wants to see me." I announced, "Pizza Lady said I have to bring my Pokémon with me. So guys, it's time to go."

My partners, as figured, all groaned. But Blaziken and Alakazam came to either side of me, Blaziken on the left, Alakazam on the right. I looked at Charizard, and he grumbled about how he wished he was able to walk with Alakazam and Blaziken. I recalled Marshtomp, because he has a hard time sitting still, and in a serious business like this, anyone would understand why. I recalled Charizard, because he wouldn't be able to fit in the hallways. Alakazam started to levitate, and then Blaziken and I walked over to Domino, who closed her eyes halfway in a predicted irritation look…

"Eric, you know how I operate, and I won't tolerate it." She said, with the standard authority's tone. "I will not allow you to let your Pokémon roam free around me, now put them back where they belong, in their Pokéballs."

"And you know what, you blonde headed bitch? I don't need to listen to you anymore." I retorted, letting my irritation speak. "Guess what, Pizza Girl, We're on equal ranking, so I will 'not allow' anything less than equal speech…" I walked past her and took a left, Blaziken and Alakazam beside me.

"OK, then, little boy. Where do you think you're going?" Domino said with a smug tone. "You going to the office, where he _isn't_ at?"

I stopped as my right foot was landing on the ground. I straightened up and turned around, looking at her with a confused look.

"Yeah, didn't see that coming, didja?" She said with an evil looking smile. "The Boss wants to see you somewhere else, which explains why I'm even here…"

I frowned at her, if Giovanni wanted to see me, then what was wrong with just his office? Maybe he wanted to show me something… or maybe something's up.

"Where _is_ the boss located, then?" I questioned Domino. "If he wanted to talk, why somewhere isolated?"

Domino closed her eyes and pinched the nose in between, as if trying not to get frustrated. "OK, you know what, I don't _know_ why, but I just figured it was pretty damn important, judging from his urgency."

I stared at Domino for about a minute and a half. I still didn't get it, I was sure that there wasn't any kind of emergency going on at HQ, and especially not with me. Unfortunately, there seems to have been quite a bit of weird stuff going on lately. Granted, there's not going to be anything weirder than being able to understand a Pokémon as if it spoke English… but still, it's definitely been a strange morning. With all that aside, I still didn't know where I was to meet Giovanni, so I might as well follow Domino, whether I like it or not (and I _really_ don't like it).


	8. Chapter 7: Something's Amiss

Chapter 7: Something's Amiss

I paused, waiting for Domino to make the first move… and then decided to mention it to her, since she was doing the same…

"OK, well, Ladies first…" I said, and put my hands in my pockets.

She sighed and told me to follow her… Blaziken and Alakazam, who were making side comments about her, followed me.

"I wonder what the man wants this time." Blaziken said,

I paused, pretending that Alakazam was translating, "Well, either way, if Pizza Lady was told to fetch me, it must be important." I replied.

Domino was starting to growl with irritation… she doesn't seem to like that. I smiled. _I'll keep that in mind._ I thought.

"Heh, I'll bet she will poison any pizzas she delivers…" Alakazam joked, "Maybe then will the name 'pizza lady' be something worth fearing. That'll be the day." They both laughed, I snorted for a minute before laughing as well… as Domino was looking back, She was glaring at me, and it didn't take long before she told me "Keep calling me 'pizza lady' and I might put an extra ingredient in your next delivery."

I couldn't help it then, I just laughed even harder. In fact, I was laughing so hard that I noticed people looking at me, apparently creeped out… Alakazam had commented exactly what Domino might have done if it kept up, and then out of dumb luck did Domino start, only to say that she plans on justifying her joke name. Sheesh, I could just see that, with her codename as Black Tulip, if she mixed her name up, I could just picture a pizza topped with black colored tulips. That would _not_ make her look good, I'll say that, though Pizza Tulip might have fit the description with enough laughs to ruin her.

We turned the corner past Giovanni's office room… where Domino said he wasn't in. But as we walked past, I noticed a black shadowy figure walk by the door on the other side of the blurred glass. Must be the cleaning crew… making sure that the place was extra clean.  
Blaziken and Alakazam saw it as well… and we found ourselves saying the exact same thing as we walked by.

"Cleaning Crew."

Domino looked at us in sudden curiosity. "Huh?"

I looked at her. "Cleaning crew, doesn't the Boss have someone clean the office occasionally?"

She shook her head. "Not this early." She said with a lowered voice before walking towards the door. I followed her, and saw that the shadowy figure was still moving about the room. Domino knocked three times, the figure stopped… then the shadow was growing closer… the door opened.

"Huh?" I found myself confused when I saw who opened the door. It was Giovanni, but didn't Domino say he was somewhere else?

"S-sir, did you forget something?" Domino asked seeming to be just as confused as I was.

"No, I did not." The boss said; he looked at me then. " Young Mr. Claid, I was expecting you. Thank you, 009. you are dismissed."

Domino blinked twice, and when she turned around, she made a sneezing noise that sounded like she said "eyes." She walked away, and turned a corner out of sight.

_Eyes?_ I thought, _what does that mean?_

Giovanni looked at Blaziken (who I found was tensed up), then Alakazam… then he looked up and down towards me… as if sizing me up. Once he was done, he looked at me square in the eye. "So, now that you've arrived, come in…" He stepped aside, and thinking of Blaziken and Alakazam, I found myself hesitating. Giovanni sighed, and made a slight smile.

"There's no worry, I'm fine with you letting Pokémon walk in…" he said. "just this one time, though."

I looked at Blaziken (who relaxed a bit); he shrugged, and walked in. Then I looked at Alakazam, and he said, in thought speak, the answer to what I was thinking…

_I guess there's a first for everything. Come on, we'd better not make him wait._ he said.  
We went in, and it definitely felt a little awkward to enter my boss's office with my Pokémon beside me… but, he said it was OK, so here we are.

Giovanni settled into his seat before he started looking at Blaziken and Alakazam for a brief moment. "Mr. Claid," he said, "Before we talk, you seem to have a good reason for everything, so why do you let your Pokémon roam outside of their Pokéballs?"

"Err," I paused… "Even if I were to tell you, sir, you would most likely consider it ridiculous."

"Go ahead, I want to hear it." He urged me… despite the tone of voice; he was giving me a look that told me he wasn't exactly happy about it.

"Well… umm…" I paused again, trying to find the right words. I sighed, figuring I'd just wing it. "Sir, I personally think like most of an average trainer on regards of Pokémon. I see my Pokémon as equal as any other member of Team Rocket… so I let my Pokémon do things that I do out of habit."

Giovanni gave me a neutral look, like what I was saying was unbelievable or something. I tried to keep a straight face, but the pressure of hearing the worst was making me sweat… the look in his eye made it feel very serious.

"hmm… Well, while I can see how a young man like you can think that way…" Giovanni said.

"But the rest of us see Pokémon as mere tools to get certain jobs done, and I can hardly see any other reason why not. So while I won't deny you this privilege, I think that you, as you say, really are 'being ridiculous.'"

_Is that so, sir?_ Alakazam thought spoke openly, so that everyone in the room could hear. Giovanni looked left and right, supposedly trying to find where that came from.

_Mr. Giovanni, with all due respect, I think Eric is justified in considering Pokémon his equals._ Alakazam continued, _for one thing, I know just about enough to be able to socialize with whomever I want to speak to. It's not my fault that they feel awkward about it._

"Who's there?" Giovanni demanded, "Who is this!?"

"It's Alakazam, sir." I piped in. "My psychic Pokémon is using telepathy to speak."  
He looked at me with a very serious face. "so you're telling me that you have a psychic Pokémon you can communicate with?"

_Yes, sir._ Alakazam said. _I've been urged to communicate with Eric for awhile… and he frequently consults to me whenever he has troubles. I also help translate what other Pokémon are saying…_

"Reeeeally… is that so?" a voice purred. From out behind the desk, Giovanni's Persian walked slowly over towards the front. "So you can tell Giovanni what I really say, is this what you tell me, Shorty?"

Alakazam nodded, with a slight glare in his eye at being called "short".

"OK…" Persian walked over to Giovanni and looked up… "y'know, I really wonder how that other Meowth is doing, I dunno how you taught him to speak… but that kind of education could help, I'll admit."

I kept my mouth shut as Alakazam Translated every word that was said. Despite my being able to let Giovanni know how I communicate with Alakazam, I still find it a bad idea to tell him I can understand Pokémon without Alakazam's help anymore. As I looked at Blaziken, I smiled. Blaziken was having a hard time keeping his good posture, which was understandable, given the fact that it was actually his first time, but after seeing me stand up like that, he got it down. He looked at me with only his eyes, I smiled and nodded slightly, in the gesture that he's doing good so far… he nodded back.

"Mr. Claid, I'm impressed at the training and discipline you took for your Pokémon." Giovanni commented, then he picked up a yellow folder. "But, as you'd have guessed, that's not why I called you here."

_Obviously_, I thought. I was actually surprised how my partners caused that much of a change in topic… I glanced at Blaziken, he was starting to slack in his posture, potentially getting a little restless, I looked at Alakazam. _Alakazam, hang with Blaziken._ I told him through thought,_ Talk to him through thought or something, but don't make him laugh. Good posture, y'know?_

Alakazam nodded, and levitated next to Blaziken. I looked back at Giovanni, and he places a group of papers on the desk. "Mr. Claid, you recall that incident you were caught in the other day?" he interrogated.

I felt my eyebrows look like they were closing, in a serious face, because how could I _not_ forget yesterday? I still don't know what the motive was for attacking just me. But all I do know was that is seemed predetermined, staged…

"Yes sir." I replied.

"Would you have any recollection as to who attacked you?"

_Good question._ I thought. "No sir."

"And lastly, has anything out of the ordinary occurred recently?" Giovanni looked at me with a concerned face. I looked at him in surprise. Despite him being my boss, I had not expected something like that.

_What kind of a question is that?_ Alakazam commented at me.

"S-sir?" I said.

Giovanni looked at the documents. "According to the reports from yesterday," he explained, reading the documents as he went, "after you were hit, you passed out a few seconds afterwards, and under a sudden fever… and as you were being taken over to the medical center, you went under an unexplainable seizure." He flipped to the next page. "'The fever was understandable after a psychic attack, but a sudden seizure gave us all a shock,' was one of the many comments left by the doctors that checked your health." Giovanni looked at me, as if expecting a reaction.

I was stunned, I thought back on the nightmare I had that night… I was being stabbed by fiery spikes, I was lying in the air, with my back facing a crater of magma… and I think I might have been thrashing in that dream as well.

I gulped… "umm, but I feel fine, sir."

"And that's exactly what concerns me." Giovanni continued. "How is it that you were able to recover from a fever and a seizure in the course of a few hours?"  
I didn't have anything worth saying that would help my situation… so I kept quiet… looking towards the bottom of the desk.

"So I ask again. Mr. Claid, has anything out of the ordinary happened lately." I made eye contact again, and I found that Giovanni was looking at me fiercely. He definitely is hoping for me to tell him something fruitful… except, I don't think it's a good idea to say that I have a magic pendant that allows me to understand Pokémon, or to say that Blaziken and Alakazam found my eyes turned into that of a beast's while I was unconscious.

I stared down Giovanni for awhile. _what exactly does he want, anyways?_ I thought. _Does he think I have some kind of superpower that's useable… some inhuman trait that he can use to his advantage?_ I kept looking into his eyes… and all of a sudden, they didn't feel the same… I don't know why, but they suddenly feel different.

The minute I felt his eyes being different, half of the iris and pupil, the main part of the eyes that supposedly is the center of eyesight, suddenly turned red, and made a half circle kind of reflective look… I managed to keep a straight face on the outside, but I found myself clenching my teeth.

"Mr. Claid?" Giovanni said. "I ask again, Has anything out of the ordinary happened to you?"

_Eric?_ Alakazam thought spoke._ You gonna give him an answer?_

I kept looking, the eyes turned to normal when I broke eye contact slightly. "Err, n-no sir." I finally said…

Giovanni noticed my voice shake. "Are you sure, you're not hiding something?"

"Uh, yes sir, I just felt a little… caught off balance, sir…" I lied. _oh NOOO, I don't have anything to hide…_ I thought sarcastically… _except for finding your eyes suddenly changing color, my understanding Pokémon, and your seriously weird questions. So no, __**BOSS**__, I ain't hiding SHIT…!_

I was dismissed. I was actually surprised that took so long… but still, I felt a little concerned about what happened… I mean, Giovanni's my BOSS… why would he ask weird questions… and those eyes…

_Half of the iris and pupil, the main part of the eyes that supposedly is the center of your eyesight, suddenly turned red, and made a half circle kind of reflective look…_

That was definitely weird… in fact, while on my way back to the club, I consulted it with Alakazam, and he gave me an intrigued look when I finished, I guess it was new to him as well. Blaziken noted that it sounded like something I read to him a couple of years ago, back when he was a Torchic. Since then, I didn't talk any further until I got back. Everyone was still there, and to my surprise, so was the Pizza guy.

Blaziken and I looked eye to eye, then at the pizza guy. "Late, much?" we said simultaneously. He he, I guess the closest friends tend to think alike, right?

"Hey, he's finally back!" Mike said. "Pizza man came here a few minutes ago, he said he wanted to see the new admin." The Pizza guy looked at me, apparently from bottom to top… average twenty five year old male, got a bit of a beard coming on, clay colored red-brown eyes, and somewhat thin, bit of a muscular build, but not too much (probably from carrying large amounts of filled pizza boxes). His jaw dropped squarely when he looked me in the eye, obviously bewildered at looking at me, his eyes looked like they turned into rectangles with a dot in the center.

"You…You've gotta be kidding!" he shouted. "Your boss must have gone off the deep end this time, promoting a KID to be admin!"

I narrowed my eyes until they felt like lines on my face. While I figured he didn't expect me as admin, the tone he gave me felt insulting… as if he really thought I wasn't fit to be an authority rank. _To hell with him, he doesn't know me, apparently._ I thought bitterly.

"Hmph," I snorted, "I got promoted because I've never failed very many missions… and I've earned enough intelligence to be able to win in just about ANY situation. Got a problem with that?" I gave the man a good long scowl, and I kept scowling, even when he turned away and walked towards the boxes of Pizza.

I gave the guy a small "Tch" of dismissal as I passed by him, something grabbed my shoulder, and it was the Pizza guy with a bit of a fierce look in his eye.

"Here's a deal," the dude said, "I'll let you have all the pizzas and half off the next batch…if you can Beat me in a battle. I warn ya, I'm the best there is over there."

At hearing a deal like that, I made my eyes look mad, except I didn't exactly frown. Instead, I turned it into an Evil-looking smirk, because I knew for sure that this guy was asking for it… big time.

"Hehehehe," I snickered, "You got yourself a Deal. Just keep in mind that this will prove my promotion for sure, because I do not lose very often…"

"Alrighty then" We then shook hands, in a gesture of sportsmanship, and to seal the agreement. "May the best Battler win."

Kevin suddenly walked into the crowd; I looked at him in sudden curiosity, because I figured he didn't care about much.

He sized me up, and narrowed his eyes, as if trying to figure out something. "Hmph, everyone told me quite a bit about you." He told me, "They say that you never lose in a Pokémon Battle. Now you can show me if you live up to that reputation."

I raised both eyebrows; in a gesture of surprise… now I know this is a battle I don't want to lose… because it's more than just a battle for free pizza.

Now it's a battle, to prove myself as an admin… to not one, but _two_ people.


	9. Chapter 8: Higher Rank, Same Battler

Chapter 8: Different Rank, Same Battler

I found my stomach slightly satisfied for the moment… I asked the pizza guy to let me and my pokemon have two of the eight pizzas. Charizard, with the bigger stomach, was given one entire pizza; while Blaziken, Marshtomp, Alakazam and I shared two slices each from the second. We each had a couple of glasses of water (well, GALLONS for Charizard) so that we won't get dehydrated as well. Of course, before a Battle, Alakazam uses his psychic power to get an idea of an opponent's battle type, a tactic I had dubbed the "Psycho Analysis".

As I was walking down a couple of halls over to the Battle Arena, I was listening to Alakazam's Psycho Analysis. Apparently, the pizza guy uses Pokemon as his partners for doing his job. He will use a mix between Fire type and Water type Pokemon, with an occasional Grass type pokemon when it comes to reaching high places. At the moment, I decided to let everyone get a shot, but I chose to let Alakazam go first, to see what will happen before I make a move. I decided to send out Charizard if the going gets hot, or Marshtomp if I have to cool down. Blaziken, being my strongest Pokemon, is my last resort for the battle, usually if everyone else is down (which isn't often).

The Battle Arena was about the size of half of a football field. Rectangular in perimeter, outlined on the outside with white… in the center of the arena, a large circle, enough to cram one half of a football team (all suited up and all). Then there was a smaller circle, enough for one person to stand in…

We stood on each of the two rectangles at the end of the arena, where the Trainers are usually placed. And then we got started.

The opponent threw his Pokeball. The red and white sphere opened, and a white stream of energy poured out of it. The energy launched towards the ground, collecting and forming a shape. The shape was completely formed, the Pokemon, known as Wartortle, had a shell like that of a Squirtle's shell, whitish-yellow underside, and a red with a slight tint of orange on the back. The tail and ears looked like they were each a pair of five to six inch feathers, Finally, unlike Squirtle's large eyes, the eyes of this Pokemon were slightly smaller, meant to make it look more serious. I stuck with my plan, and beckoned Alakazam to the Arena… I recalled Charizard, Marshtomp, and Blaziken because pokemon are to be in their Pokeballs during a battle, to prevent possible foul play. Once the battle was all set, I decided to stake my claim.

"I warn you, man, you're definitely gonna regret facing me," I called, "because if I do have the reputation of not losing, you'd better damn well expect no less from a high class tactician."

Alakazam looked back at me,_ plan of action?_ He said.

_Yeah, wait for him to attack first._ I responded. _If three minutes elapses and nothing happens, then we make a sudden move._

Alakazam nodded in acknowledgment, he tensed himself spread is feet slightly farther apart on the ground, ready to jump at an instants notice. The standoff began. No one making as much as a single twitch. Wartortle was taking deep breaths after about fifteen seconds. Its Trainer was smirking……. Thirty second went by; still no one made a move… Wartortle's breaths were getting bigger… The opposing trainer's smirk got bigger. Something was sounding suspicious about Wartortle's breathing… it was doing it in regular two second intervals. I frowned slightly and looked at Alakazam.

I sighed, which usually, during battle, is a sign that something's bothering me.

_What's up?_ Alakazam asked, without looking back.

_Something's up with that Wartortle's breathing._ I said observantly, _It's like he expects us to let down our guard._ I kept my focus on Wartortle.

_Then maybe we should let him think that._ Alakazam said before starting to turn toward me.

Just as Alakazam turned, Wartortle took a very deep breath, and then blew out a large blast of water as his trainer shouted "Think Fast!"

_Teleport right!_ I commanded, Alakazam suddenly appeared at the right of the blast; I jumped aside from the left to avoid the blast myself._  
_

_OK, Now Teleport to Wartortle's left. Send a few Psycho Cuts!_

Alakazam suddenly appeared a few feet away from Wartortle's left side, The Wartortle's Water Gun attack was just halted, and it didn't give much time for a reaction.

"Wha--!!" was all that came out before Alakazam fired off three crescent-like discs being pushed from the center, moving as fast as a man running at top speed. The blasts hit Wartortle up front, knocking it backwards by a few feet. Wartortle got back up on its feet. I felt sorry for the guy already, most skilled Pokemon and their Trainers could avoid something like this. This was going to be a cakewalk.

"They can't get away this time, Water Gun, Wartortle!" The opponent shouted.

_I don't think so…. Use Psychic to create a water barrier._ I calmly commanded.

Alakazam raised one hand, the spoon that centers the psychic output started to glow. Wartortle fired another Water Gun, the water built into a large blue bubble, and it just kept getting bigger as Wartortle still blew water… the Water Gun stopped… and the bubble was big enough to fit a normal sized car into. I glanced at the crowd, Sam and Nikki were giggling at the bubble, Mike had gone hysterical, Frank was neutral, and Kevin had both eyebrows raised.

_Use it right,_ I thought to myself, _and it does more than wash dishes._

I looked at my opponent, the expression wasn't to be expected, but his confidence being turned into wide-eyed shock is still priceless. Wartortle stopped its Water Gun and gazed at it in surprise.

"Whoa, a pool sized water bomb." It said.

_OK, Alakazam, now break the giant into smaller pieces, and throw some of those small bits at Wartortle, just to get it going…_ I smirked big. I was toying with my opponent, and this was too easy.

The opponent was wide eyed, and it looks like he's had enough. Wartortle was clenching its teeth, obviously as frustrated as its Trainer. The opponent's wide eyes started looking more serious, as if he were ticked off…

"Wartortle, Use Aqua Jet! Swim through the bubbles!" the opponent commanded.

"Got it" Wartortle acknowledged.

_Aqua Jet, the Water based Quick Attack._ I explained briefly, _Move the water bubbles in a fast moving circle and leave one in the center. Keep the Pokemon in the center!_

Wartortle started to rocket towards the bubbles, leaving a stream of regular water in its wake. The Levitating water bubbles started to rotate, and it got faster and faster by the second. Wartortle got through the first bubble, only three bubbles away from the center, then it would be three more to get to Alakazam… The Bubbles started rotating faster, and I noticed something immediately.

_Don't wait for Wartortle to get in the center._ I cautioned my psychic partner, _Once it's in a bubble, move it to the center, don't use the rotation as a way around._

Wartortle then stared spiraling towards the center of the jumble of bubbles, it jumped out of the center bubble, only to be snatched by a blur that was another water bubble.  
"WAAHH" Wartortle screamed as it was tossed around by the water, yelling a "Whoa" as it was tossed in a complete circle. By the time it went through nine times, Alakazam moved it to the center of the group again. Wartortle's eyes were swirling, "uhhhh," it groaned, "I don't feel so good…"

The opposing Trainer gasped. "Wartortle!"

Now to really kick things off. "OK, that's enough messing around." I now said vocally, "Alakazam, Finish it with Psybeam!!" I swung out my arm, in the kind of gesture a leader would yell 'CHARGE'.

Then all at once, the empty water bubbles just dropped. The one with Wartortle in it was still levitating, Alakazam started rising upwards, leveling height. Rainbow like energy started gathering at the center of Alakazam's two spoons. Then with an instant push backwards, a rainbow like beam shot out and hit Wartortle square in the center of its shell for a few seconds. At the minute of impact, the energy looked like it "spread" around the Pokemon's body. The Pokemon then fell to the ground, unconscious.

Syrus, as Referee, raises a hand towards me. "Wartortle is unable to battle," he declared, "The winner is Alakazam!"

"No problem." I said with confidence.

The Pizza guy pointed a finger at me in accusation. "But you didn't do SQUAT!!"

I poked my head three times, then Alakazam and I both started to laugh. I raised my head slightly when I did, I don't really know why, I just felt like it.

Man, this guy got steamed then. "you think this is FUNNY you little brat!?" he said angrily, swearing, "I'll give you a beating so bad that you'll wish you dealt for something else aside from pizza!" He recalled his Wartortle, and grabbed a second Pokeball.

"Dude, I just want to enjoy the party" I said, intentionally poking fun at him. "But seriously, You think I was kidding before? I can do worse than that. But I'm not really the kind of person who does unnecessary damage, I am not a bully."

He threw his Pokeball real hard, expressing his anger. The Pokeballs white energy took form, the Pokemon had a black coat with a light brown underbelly, the back was streamlined flat all the way to it's feet, where it seemed to hang slightly, like the world's shortest cape. The Pokemon then tensed up, and a somewhat small and thick panel of fire erupted from its back. I identified the Pokemon as Typhlosion, the final evolution of the Fire type starter Pokemon, Cyndaquil. I reached out for Marshtomp's Pokeball… but I thought twice.

_Even if Marshtomp has type advantage being a Water and Ground type, it wouldn't do very well._ I thought, processing what might happen. _Judging from that Typhlosion's fire, it seems its attacks might not be easy for water to handle…_

I recalled Alakazam, knowing he did his part. I then reached for Charizard's Pokeball, my expression set on maintaining focus.

"Well, it's like Gym leader Blaine would say." I said, recalling the one time I battled Blaine back on Cinnabar Island.

"_If you think you can handle the heat, then you gotta 'fight fire with fire'"_

I grabbed Charizard's Pokeball from my belt, the small red and white sphere shrunken to about the size of a marble… I looked at the thing for a few seconds. There are still millions of times where I wonder how those things get so small. It's quite the mystery how it works, but in order to shrink it, all you gotta do is hold the button down for a few seconds and maintain a firm grip.

Anyways, I pressed the button once, then the Pokeball enlarged to its usual size, then I decided to throw it high and slightly forward. As if detecting the intended result, the Pokeball snapped open, Charizard appearing in front of me seconds later. The now empty Pokeball fell back toward me, where I caught it with one hand, and without even looking.

"Hey, I figured Marshtomp wouldn't be able to handle this one." I told Charizard with a bit of a confident tone, "Typhlosion looks pretty tough… now let's show them who the REAL tough guys are!"

"Let's HEAT THINGS UP!!" Charizard roared, fire bursting forward from his jaw.

"Ha, you think you're hot?" Typhlosion jeered, "Then bring it!"

Typhlosion snorted a small flame and grinned, the opponent crossed his arms, and snickered.  
_OK, now it's __**my**__ turn to go on the offensive._ "Charizard, use the Rising Flamethrower!"  
OK, so technically it's not an attack… but if I were to tell him to take flight right off the bat, there's a good chance that the opponent will knock him down. The Rising Flamethrower is a combo of two moves, Fly, and obviously Flamethrower. The tactic works like this, Charizard acts first by unleashing a Flamethrower at the enemy where one of three things will happen. One, the enemy fights back with an attack of their own, causing a stalemate… two, the enemy will jump out of the way, or three, the enemy will defend against it with a defensive move. Once the enemy is either blocking the attack, putting extra effort in a stalemate, or otherwise not focused on Charizard, then Charizard will liftoff into the air, where I will think on the offensive.

Charizard let loose a focused stream of fire towards Typhlosion. As figured, Typhlosion countered with a Flamethrower of its own. Causing a stalemate between to focused streams of fire, pressing together. During the stalemate, Charizard began the second part by getting his wings set up for liftoff, while I placed my feet a little farther apart, ready to jump out of the way when the opposing stream of fire blasted my way.

"Steady…" I told Charizard telling him to wait on liftoff. He managed to keep the fire at an even amount of effort, no increased push, but no letting up.

Typhlosion was starting to increase power to its side. I instantly found that the fire was starting to swirl, in a few seconds, the compound from the Flamethrowers would explode. This mixes things up a bit, and in my favor as well.

"Charizard, get ready for Blastoff!" I called.

"Hey KID!!" Kevin shouted from the audience, "What's with you and aircrafts!? Start making REAL Commands, will ya?"

I snorted with laughter, he had no idea how I operated… Sure, I have a big interest in flying, but flying is just too helpful… once you have complete control in the air, you're almost untouchable. But when I refer to Blastoff, then something's gonna go boom… and he knew it.  
The swirl grew slightly bigger. _This is it,_ I thought, _it's gonna blow!_ I crossed my arms in front of me, my left foot stepped back and I bent my right knee slightly, and leaned slightly forward, ready to stand my ground while still seeing what's going on.

"BLASTOFF!!" I yelled, Charizard quickly opened his wings.

Then it happened all at once, with a big concussive *BOOOMPHHH*, a huge fireball blew apart, sending the opponent, his Pokemon and myself flying backwards. It was only a few seconds before I found myself sliding backwards on the floor and my head hitting the wall… which was about half a meter away.

I got up, slightly dazed, and walked towards the arena. I looked side to side for Charizard, he wasn't on the ground (Typhlosion was, and ready to fight, along with the Trainer, who was staggering to his feet).

I looked up, and sure enough, Charizard was hovering in the air, flapping his wing slowly to maintain a somewhat fixed position.

"Alright!" I cheered, "OK, now, Strafe Northwest to Northeast, and approach with Fire Blast!"

Translation, "Move forward, dodging left and right, and use Fire Blast when you get close…"

Gaining a slight amount of altitude, then pointing above the target, Charizard started gliding towards Typhlosion… While gliding, he started tilting back and forth, strafing side to side slightly.

I looked at the opponent, he was tense, and his face was in a nervous state of thinking. I could just tell, he was waiting for me.

Charizard was gliding slowly, about the speed of a man just walking casually. Typhlosion was baring its teeth in frustration at not hearing from his Trainer…

I was in a psychological advantage. _OK, gotta keep them fired up,_ I observed, _I know from personal experience that a skilled battler has to remain calm during a battle to be able to think straight and sharp._

"Charizard!" I called, causing Charizard's glide to cease, and he hovered in the air, only flapping to stay aloft. He looked back at me; I smirked, and snickered out loud… "Hey, you notice the trainer? He's pale as a ghost." I started to laugh, "What's worse, his Pokemon's PISSED!"

The Trainer started to get angry now. But he remained unresponsive. Charizard got the message, and snorted a small flame to the side, and smirked as well… what was going on, is that he was using Taunt. Taunt is a move that playfully insults an opponent in the tension of battle, intended to infuriate the opponent. Once infuriated, the opposing pokemon will be so mad, that they will only listen for attacks, and if the Trainer doesn't command for an attack, then the Pokemon MIGHT "take matters into it's own hands", and go on the offensive independently. By the looks of it, Typhlosion looked like it was almost at its breaking point of its temper… the opponent looks about ready to just run up to me and swing.

"I have had ENOUGH OF THAT ATTITUDE!!" he finally shrieked. TYPHLOSION, USE BLAST BURRRRRN!!!

An alarm went off in my head when I heard what the opponent just said. My smirk disappeared, and I got a bit tense at the knowledge.

Typhlosion knew the most powerful Fire type attack in the world… known as Blast Burn, when released, it's like an extra sensitive grenade. One touch, and a shockwave of superheated fire will boom outwards for half a quarter mile. And enough to require immediate medical attention if any human being were hit dead on. What's worse is that the attack goes about as fast someone lobbing a baseball. So if a Pokemon threw it with enough effort, it would hit Charizard so fast he would be knocked down hard with little knowledge of what happened…

"You're kidding, right?" I cried in surprise, "Typhlosion knows Blast Burn!?"

Fire gathered inside the enemy's mouth, getting brighter…brighter… now becoming a beacon. Typhlosion's expression started to falter, it winced, meaning he was having a hard time handling the heat.

I tried managed to focus my attention on the energy that's building… I grunted a "Ngh" as I tried to figure out what happens next. I assumed that Typhlosion's wincing meant that it was still charging, even though it was putting a lot of strain on it.

_OK, still got time._ I thought. _If Charizard happened to dodge that attack from that height, Typhlosion would find itself exposed for an attack._

"Charizard, wait for the signal to move!" I shouted.

"You won't dodge this." The opponent said, "Your Charizard will fall! Typhlosion, FIRE!!"

"DROP!!!" I screamed as loud as possible, to make sure Charizard heard me.

Typhlosion's eyes widened fiercely, it bent its head back slightly. Charizard knew what it meant to "drop", and I know I trained him on it. Using his momentum, Charizard swung his body, belly facing up, he then forced his wings to push through the air, causing him to rocket towards the ground just as Typhlosion launched Blast Burn, in a large radiant grenade of bright orange fire… in the instant Charizard rocketed towards the ground, he used the same momentum to flip backwards, and then land on his feet with a loud *BOOM*, on the duration of about a few seconds. Charizard stepped back, though, to maintain balance.

"Counterattack with Hyper Beam!" I commanded.

"ERIC, WATCH OUT!!" Sam shrieked

I looked at her for an instant, confused, before an orange glow gave me the answer for her. I looked up, and realized that Blast Burn was hurtling towards the place I'm standing. Out of instant impulse, I began to book it to the left, towards the wall, and away from the stands where the audience was… Blast Burn made contact, the shockwave expanded so fast I couldn't escape it unheated… and I just dove forward, yelling as I dove.

*BOOOPHSHH*

As the shockwave lifted me slightly, an explosion sounded on the other side of the arena.  
Flung in the air by Blast Burn's Shockwave, I landed flat on a surface, but then slid forward, hitting my head… I apparently hit a wall, from about 2 inches above the ground. I found myself with a bad headache, and then falling to the floor, facedown.

"Safety…" I muttered with my face to the floor, "Pokemon first, then Trainer before anything else…"

"Typhlosion is unable to battle, the winner is Charizard!" I overheard Syrus declare…

I raised my fist in a sense of victory (while still facedown on the ground) for a few seconds before getting to my feet… I looked back towards the arena, and Typhlosion, as declared by Syrus, was down for the count.

_Figures…_ I thought, _Typhlosion used too much energy in charging up Blast Burn, so it isn't much of a surprise it couldn't stand up when it finally fired, especially when it couldn't move when Charizard used Hyper Beam._

I walked over to my original position on the arena… I smiled and gave Charizard a thumbs up, which I mean it as "Job well done."

"NO!!" the opponent shouted, "Typhlosion… he was my strongest member…" the man looked towards the ground, "I forfeit, losing my strongest pokemon, I see little point in going on."

"WHOOO!!" Mike cheered, "Another flawless victory for Eric Claid! Now do you see how he got Admin status!?"

I frowned at him, I knew this was just gonna insult the opponent. I looked forward, the Pizza guy who was my opponent was on his knees, his spirits seriously hurt with his Pokemon being defeated so easily. I walked acrossed the arena towards the defeated opponent.

"Mike, Give the guy a break." I started lecturing, "he didn't know how I battled, so it's only natural that he wouldn't expect this…" I reached towards the center of the battlefield as I talked… "saying stuff like 'another flawless victory for such-and-such' isn't exactly a good sense of sportsmanship." I stood beside Charizard now, and I was then getting to my point. "Y'see, I've trained my Pokemon partners to be able to take advantage of nearly any possible situation. Whether it be psychological, or situational. If I spot an open vulnerability, I strategize to take it."

The Pizza man looked at me square in the eye, then his eyes looked down. I smiled, and walked toward him.

"Hey, it was still a good battle," I offered him a handshake… "I didn't expect your Typhlosion to know Blast Burn." he got to his feet, Recalled his Typhlosion, and took it.

"You're pretty good, kid." The man said with a smirk, "Perhaps Giovanni wasn't crazy after all."

"heh, I hope not." I joked, "Otherwise we'd need a pretty huge nuthouse"

We both laughed, Charizard was snorting a little bit, and we shook hands, with a firm grip that recognizes a new friendship among Pokemon Battlers.

I felt a small ache in my stomach, which probably told me I was getting pretty hungry. "Well, now that the battle's over, how about you have a slice or two of the Pizza you delivered before you go? And I'll give ya an extra tip to help make ya feel better."


	10. Chapter 9: The New Admin's Assignment

Chapter 9: The New Admin's Assignment

I lied down on my bunk and sighed… the rest of the day went through a little irritably. The Battle was done too early, the pizza guy had forfeit when Charizard knocked down his toughest Pokémon, Typhlosion, and Blaziken and Marshtomp were not too happy with not getting a chance to show their stuff. Kevin on the other hand, seemed to have been satisfied with my performance, since he came up to me after we were walking out.

"I guess they weren't exaggerating about you," he told me, "you really are a pretty skilled battler. A little strange, with your battle conduct and such, but definitely something that isn't a waste of my time…"

The party went through well, as we played various games, shared stories about what's been going on (except me, because everyone knew what happened with me), and other stuff, we then made our way to the weight room, where I gave my daily beating to the punching bag, and occasionally lifted weights when I let Blaziken beat the bag. Charizard trained his wings and neck by trying to remain aloft with a certain amount of weight for a preset goal time… which this time, it was 65 pounds on his wings, and 75 pounds on his neck for a minute and a half. Marshtomp, since he was still a little young, ran on the treadmill for the entire time (frequently asking me to go faster).

Dinner tonight was steaks, with a side of corn, rice, and the daily usuals, aside from a pitcher of iced tea… I definitely felt a bit more comfortable about dining in my new admin's quarters, since it came with a small table, enough for everyone but Charizard. Despite the fact I could now socialize with my partners, dinner was quiet as usual. Blaziken ate a little roughly. Marshtomp nibbled at his food, Charizard gobbled his food as usual, and Alakazam was looking at Blaziken and Marshtomp in caution… After dinner, I played a few games of solitaire after everyone went back to their Pokéballs to sleep. Now, here I am… laying face-up on my new bed, which I consider a bunk since it's set up as part of the wall (folds up into the wall, and it's only big enough to fit a human adult).

_What a weird day_. I thought quietly, closing my eyes and reminiscing over what happened… It was only yesterday that I got attacked after another successful mission… someone trying to target me and all… I pictured the helicopter, my feelings of slight guilt when I climbed on, the man's sudden yelp… even the rainbowish beam and the pain it caused…

Then I had that weird dream.

Red spikes flashed through my mind's eye… the picture of my body, from my point of view, flopping wildly… being stabbed.

Then I wake up in the morning, and find myself promoted… The letter in mailbox 64, the grunts calling me "sir," Mike cautioning me, it all flashed before my closed eyes, understanding Pokémon, Giovanni's strange questions… those freaky eyes…

I found myself getting drowsy… and a little warm. I guess I'll think about it tomorrow. The warmth that I felt got warmer… it was almost like…like that of a---……

***

12:00AM didn't feel that late for some reason, and Domino was lying face up on her hammock, confused about her meeting with Giovanni… obviously known as the Boss.

_"Bring Claid to me in the old chamber where an old friend was kept," the Boss said. _

_"You mean Mewtwo?" Domino said, surprised. _

_"Yes, 009, but do not tell him the location, just lead him here. If I happen to be in my office, and I'm sure I have not forgotten anything, then tell the boy to look me in the eye." _

_"Huh? I don't understand, sir." Domino told the Boss… _

_"Don't let me down." He said, before walking through the door…_

"What was that all about?" Domino mused… "The Boss was very serious about it. But what was it about that kid?"

She rolled over to her left, still thinking… "That Syrus Mitchel guy said the attacker only aimed for Eric… not the Pokéballs." She thought aloud, "Not to mention that the Boss was very serious about his request…"

Domino closed her eyes, in an effort to get some sleep… "What's going on, anyways?"

***

_I was lying down, yet it didn't feel like I was… I was floating, above a volcano, with scorching hot magma spewing out frequently, yet it's not necessarily making contact with me. It was the same as before, but it felt different somehow… _

_"I've been here…" I said, "Fire, Everywhere, but last time, I was burned." _

_I felt warm, I looked around, and saw that the flames were starting to swirl, they wrapped around my hands, my legs… and then the rest of me in about a minute, they felt… warm, and cozy. The feeling felt so nice… it was hard to explain at first. It felt so warm, so soothing. It was like a mother's love… so peaceful. _

_I still retained my train of thought, though, and that train of thought prevented the warmth from engulfing me… _

_"It feels so nice…" I said, smiling… "But, what does it mean?" _

_**You're innocent…**__ a voice said. _

_"What?" _

_**You're so innocent…**__ It repeated. Why __**do you commit such wrongful acts?**_

_The Warmth vanished, the volcano disappeared from sight, leaving just a blind black void. Then it rapidly felt cold… like the kind of cold as if you were sent to sit outside in the winter time in summer clothes… _

_I tensed up, reacting to the cold… and then I felt something else… something sad. I realized it instantly then, and all this sadness was the kind of feeling when someone has lost a best friend… when someone dies… like a mournful feeling… _

_I wanted to cry… this sadness hurt. I didn't want to hold it in, but I felt like the only thing I could do was to do just that, to hold it in and only let tears break out, flowing like small rivers among my face. _

_**You're unique among the rest, human child… you band together with evildoers and you're willing to do deeds that bring the sadness you now feel… but yet, your innocent heart causes you to regret them… why?**_

_I found myself silent, I knew this from day one… that everything I would be doing, after I discovered what really went on, will be something I would regret for a long time… this mournful cold… the mother's warmth. It was like something that's come to haunt me… _

_"Who… Who are you?" I asked the Voice _

_**If those deeds continue, then your regret will be your undoing, human child**__._

_I felt myself lightheaded… as if I was floating. I was waking up… _

_"But, wait! Who are you?! Ahh-" _

I rose up fast, wide awake… awake.

"Who--…. Who was that?" I thought aloud…

**A rainbow…** something echoed.

I sat there…in the dark concealment of my bunk. I thought about what happened, about the cold that came through me.

**If those deeds continue, then your regret will be your undoing… **

"My…. My regret, huh?"

The morning afterwards wasn't too special. Breakfast was Bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, which were made in bulk for you-know-who… I was given a sheet of paper that told me of what Giovanni was to assign me… it said that I had been given a specific team of grunts, who were fine with respecting anyone of admin status. One or two of the grunts were given notes that I had to keep in mind, one had a bit of a reckless attitude, along with a constant need of a battle. The second one wasn't all that easy to please. In fact, even over the course of two weeks of one reassignment after another, this guy will criticize anyone, even a superior (reports from various admins have confirmed it, though it was described as "questioning the authority"). I went through the notes, and folded the sheet of names that I was to use for counting heads, making sure everyone is attended and on time. Despite this being my first day as Admin, I've been around enough of the others to know how everything works… Well, almost everything.

Thankfully, someone came over to me as I walked out of my room, and explained everything to me.

When an admin wakes up, they are usually supposed to get a single sheet of paper with a specified mission ordered from Giovanni. Every admin is given a predetermined team of grunts, who are informed a day in advance, and must order that group of grunts to carry out the mission.

"There are a lot of phrases that a grunt has to hear from an admin. You might have heard a good amount of them, since you were a grunt at one time." The man explained, and he was right about that. Anyone who's been in some kind of boot camp involvement should know them… Atten-hut, Dismissed, those kinds of phrases. I managed to memorize them within a few minutes, the time I took walking down the halls.

"I know your reputation, kid," the admin said, "I wonder how you'll do since you're the one in charge. Only one way to find out, eh?" he started laughing after that…

It didn't really take long before I made it to the briefing room a half an hour early, where another group of grunts, led by Syrus, were dismissed. He gave me a smirk, indicating that he was hoping I screw up, as he passed by. I snorted towards him in an irritated gesture.

I walked into the briefing room, finding it a mess because of Syrus's group, and cleaned up a little. Once everything was all neat, I decided to go through the list of names that were on the paper… I memorized almost all the names after reading them aloud a couple of times, up until I got to the last one… Kevin.

I raised an eyebrow… _Hmm, is this someone I know?_

After I memorized the names, the grunts I would be leading had arrived, on time. As I examined each grunt, sure enough, Kevin was among them, and I recognized him alright.

"Mah name is Major, Benson, Wiliford ,Payne." I said, quoting a funny movie I liked. "And I will be replacin' Major dumbass whack, as your Commanding Officer." I ended the quote, with saying "officer" as "Offi-SUH". Some of the grunts gave a small laugh, others raised their eyebrows.

I sighed and raised my hands while I said "OK, OK, I was just joking around…" I started picking up the two pages that shown the assignment.

"OK, people, my name is Eric Claid and I am going to be your supervising Administrator from here on." I announced, turning to a more serious tone, "Unlike the other administrators, I can be a little more tolerant of everyone's behavior, but bear in mind that I _will_ discipline any of you, if I find that you're thinking you can walk over me."

"Walk over you?" Kevin decided to blurt out. Some of the grunts sighed. "What, you think we'll treat you like a doormat?"

"Exactly, Kevin. Since I've been considered to break a record as the youngest Admin in Team Rocket, I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to use force to manipulate my rank…"

Kevin raised his eyebrows, in the kind of way that would be someone saying "what the hell are you talking about??"

So from there, I explained the mission. I set out the plan from start to finish, over the course of the twenty five minute that I had.

"You all have half an hour to get to your disguises," I said, twenty minutes later, "if anyone does not come to the predetermined Transport on time, then you'll bet there's trouble. Dismissed!"

Everyone left except Kevin, who seemed to glare at me. I found myself a little curious about what he's thinking, but right now, I figured I wouldn't need Alakazam for this one.

"Is there something you want to say, Kevin?" I asked simply, raising an eyebrow and most importantly, keeping my cool.

"Yeah, actually, there is." He said, giving me the tone that stated that he really didn't like me. "If you think you, of all people can order me around, you're gonna have to show me something better than your goofy little battle style. I personally don't like you, kid, and you'd be damned smart to watch what you tell me."

Despite the fact that a comment like that would not fly with anyone else, this didn't faze me. I remained in a neutral face and as I walked next to him (facing the opposite direction), I stopped and told him my piece. "OK, I can see where this is going, punk. But while this kind of stuff might get you as far away from me as possible, you're gonna have to do better than that to piss ME off." I told him, with the sense of forewarning, "And believe me, Kevin, while I'm more than willing to be a friend, don't ever think you can get away with any stunts you plan to throw at me, because I have some creative ideas on discipline, and I know them to last for weeks."

I walked past him, leaving that bitter food for thought to sink in… but before I went through the door, I stopped again. "You aughta be going to your room and getting into your disguise, unless you want to be lookout at the helicopter.

I walked out of the briefing room into the halls, and took a deep breath, relieving as much of the stress as possible from my shoulders. I let Blaziken, Alakazam and Marshtomp accompany me while going to my room. And I told them everything about the mission.

The Mission was another Pokémon raid. A Pokémon Center had just sent word of a delivery of stored Pokémon to a nearby research lab due to an outbreak of some strange virus that isn't hurting Pokémon, but helping them instead. The strange virus, known as Pokérus, was put under the study of many Pokémon scientists for YEARS, and even now, very little is known about it. Once an outbreak occurs with this strange virus, it's a scientific gold mine. Except there was one catch… Pokérus only has lasted a week to 10 days at most, and these Pokémon were just turned in with the status of this virus, so who knows how long it's been.

The plan was tricky, we were to disguise an ordinary van to look like the van that is to deliver the Pokéballs. Once we're halfway en-route, we would then take the original Pokéballs and replace them with empty ones, and then teleport out of there, giving the research lab the idea that they've been had, and that the two unknown drivers had stolen the Pokéballs.

The disguises I recommended everyone were those similar to engineers work clothes that were just cleaned, the drivers also have to bring one cap for each person in the front two seats, to conceal the main parts of the face. The five preset grunts I've chosen will rendezvous at the halfway point, a hardly used underground tunnel out in the path between Cerulean City, and Vermillion City. Once the Pokéballs have been swapped (with a time limit of 2 minutes to get the job done), I will enter the back of the delivery van, and everyone else will guard the two large sacks of Pokéballs to the tunnel until the confirmed retrieval helicopter picks up the cargo…

Once I was done explaining, I took another deep breath, realizing I might have not talked as short as I wanted, and I found that I was already at my room.

"Well, it might be interesting to know what this 'Pokérus' thing does." Blaziken said.

"More importantly," Alakazam noted, "is whether or not it has any side effects that are worth noting."

"Either way, I think it's justified to examine these Pokéballs. Most scientists I've known are idiots." I said, walking to the sliding doors of the new closet, "Besides, the virus is easy to transmit. Just have the Pokéballs come into contact for long enough, and it should be transmitted, not sure HOW it gets sent, though…"

I looked inside to check my outfits. The closet was a lot larger than I thought, and I found twice the number of disguise items in there. Not hesitating to marvel at my extended resources, I got the costume, and a few minutes later, the large mirror I looked at shown a seventeen to eighteen year old guy, with a gray long sleeved shirt, and similar colored overalls. The kid also had greenish brown hair, some freckles over his nose and cheeks, he wore very thick glasses, probably to say he had very lousy vision. I described this outfit as an engineer in training, another nerdy kid willing to take the mechanics job to good use.

"So, how do I look?" I asked Blaziken and Alakazam.

Blaziken stared at me with surprise, then at Alakazam, who smiled once again.

"Aren't you gonna put on something other than a nerd?" he inquired.

"Maybe," I replied, "but only when I don't go any place technical."

With Blaziken and Alakazam on either side of me, I walked out of my room, with some wild shades, and met everyone else at the van. The location of the delivery was set to be at a route between Cerulean City and Vermillion City. Ever since it was abandoned, the power plant has now been used as an underground walkway, and unfortunately, my biggest problems in this one are going to be in the forms of the Gym Leaders.

Unlike last time, there will be no one unable to take part in the battle. So if we get caught in the tunnel, where I suggested we leave to infected Pokéballs, then we'd be in trouble, especially when I'm not well prepared for facing a water Pokémon Trainer I'm not familiar with. The Cerulean City Gym has always been run by a trio of Gym Leaders, each of which were sisters of four. About a couple of years ago, though, after putting up with a losing streak, the trio has decided to let the youngest (named Misty) take over the gym and go out abroad on vacation. The Vermillion Gym leader, known as Lt. Surge, is known for using Electric type Pokémon. His strongest, Raichu (the evolved form of the ever popular Pikachu), can unleash a Thunderbolt attack so powerful it can leave an entire ground arena a rubbled disaster. Knowing my science well, unless I have a Pokémon with the ability trait Volt Absorb, which follows it's name by recovering a Pokémon when it's hit by electric attacks, Misty and Lt. Surge working together as a team can be VERY big trouble. First with water conducting electricity, everyone scientific knows this, and as a result, if Misty's Pokémon were to spread water among the battlefield, then anyone that's been dampened will be hit by whatever Surge's powerhouses unleash.

So, overall, despite this being my first mission as Admin, I felt I was in over my head. "OK, People!" I shouted so everyone would hear, "If we want to avoid putting up with one of the toughest battle combinations around, this mission is to be done with no mistakes. If someone messes up, everyone's gotta fix it on the spot. If we get caught, we book it until we're forced to fight. My Alakazam can't get all of us out of there with Teleport, so don't expect this to be easy. Everyone switch on your radios, and remember, no mistakes if we want to avoid trouble."

After a lengthy reminder to everyone, a profuse amount of thought into the results and complications, we loaded up the two sacks of empty Pokéballs and filed into the van. The assigned driver and passenger, the guys in the back (including me) with the cargo, all made our way towards Vermillion City. Now all I got is one current question: Why do I have this sudden strange feeling of foreboding?


	11. Chapter 10: Dropoff

Chapter 10: Drop-off

We arrived at the rendezvous point in about a half an hour after driving through woods… I had to plug my ears because I kept overhearing Pokémon yelling stuff like "Hey, watch it!", "Human invaders!" and other random stuff as we plowed through (and what sucks is that I'm the only one who can hear all this, everyone else just hears the usual Pokémon cries, thankfully I didn't hear any indication of road-kill). Over the course of a minute and a half, the cargo was unloaded, placed inside the building, and then everyone but Kevin and the two drivers had exit the van. I informed Kevin and the Driver that their temporary names would be "Postman" and that I'd be "Engineer", and if any trouble were to come, they would say they have a flat tire.

After they were off, the rest of us kept watch. If anything were to be incoming, then we would tell them the sacks are full of parts for a project, and that we request we not let them go through…

A half an hour went by, and so far, everything went according to plan, the Pokéballs were put into the delivery van and they were on their way here. I radioed the Postmen that they still have to remain professional, and make sure Kevin doesn't try anything stupid.

"Hey, Admin Claid," someone called from behind me, "Can I ask you something?"

I turned around, looking at a man with spiky red-brown hair, his red clay-colored eyes focused at my own. He was giving me a Battler's look, the kind of look a person would give when they want to hold a Pokémon Battle.

_Well, there's the all-action-no-wait person…_ I thought. According to the list, it told me that this guy's name was Mark, I think.

"Erm," I mumbled, trying to remember if it was his name, "Mark, right?"

"Yes, sir," Mark said, still with an eager looking face, he was waiting for me to let him speak…

"What's on your mind?" I said with casual Professionalism.

"Is it true?" He asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Is it true," he took a deep breath, "that you're the best battler on Team rocket?"

I was curious at that… _am_ I the best battler in Team Rocket? I wouldn't know. But if I was the toughest battler around, I'd say I am, but am I the best battler, I'm not sure. I raised an eyebrow and looked upwards with my eyes, in a thinking gesture.

"Huh, that's an interesting question to ask." I replied truthfully. "I personally don't really know, I've been known to be tough to beat, with tactics that are different from your average trainer, but I dunno if I'm the best…" The two grunts behind him looked at me with raised brows, supposedly because that I didn't say I was the best. I made a bit of a goofy face for a second to mock them, and chuckled at the responding looks on their faces. "Judging from the looks on their faces, I think our friends over there thought I'd say something different."

He looked back just fast enough to notice the looks, before they turned away, embarrassed. He then made a small snort of amusement, and I told the two guys it was just a joke. They both made a bit of a grumble.

I looked back at Mark. "So why were you curious about my being the best or not?" I asked.

"Well, Sir…" Mark hesitated. Thankfully, I figured it out from the look in his eye, along with the fact he's embarrassing himself SILLY by being hesitant with someone as young as myself.

"You hope to challenge me to a battle, don't ya?" I smirked at the satisfaction of predicting him. The smirk got bigger when he nodded. "Well, I don't know if now's a good time, but I'm sure I could accept your challenge if I'm available off the job."

He offered his hand. "Shake on it, Sir?"

I took his hand and shook. "Yeah." I smiled cheerfully, probably thankful that I got a bit of relaxation.

*BPHH* "Postman to engineer, Postman to Engineer," my radio said, "We have a complication."

So much for relaxation… "Go ahead, Postman." I responded, returning to serious instantly.

"We have visual of the Vermillion Gym Leader eyeing the van, we observe him to suspect us" the Postman said, "What are your orders?"

I gave it a second of thought… there's still a few questions why Surge is known as "_Lieutenant_ Surge". My best guess was probably because of some boot camp that he headed or something, or perhaps something seriously military-like, since frankly there's really no major army around. Still, I wouldn't put it past Surge to suspect something. Only problem was, it was something I was counting on _not_ happening

"Continue en-route past original entrance and proceed to the Cerulean City side of the tunnel, we'll meet you there." I commanded. They acknowledged what I said, and then I turned to the group. I briefed my group what went on, and told everyone to move out…

In about the time it took us to get to the other side (I had Alakazam carry the sacks with Psychic levitation), the two grunts on the van were already waiting. I sent out Blaziken, just in case something happened. We were behind schedule because of Surge's unnerving the drivers, and if someone decided to paid us an unexpected visit, it's not gonna look pretty. I swapped out the wild shades I was wearing for the thick, but fake, glasses I kept in my overalls pocket. I then opened the back of the truck and grabbed one of the trays, Alakazam used another bit of Psychic levitation to hold up all the empty Pokéballs from one of the sacks then we packed the Pokéballs into the sacks. After that, it didn't take long for everyone to pack the infected Pokéballs into the sack, though I took one of the Pokéballs and packed it into my belt, so that I could let my Pokémon catch a strand.

I entered the back of the van, taking Kevin's place in the back. I recalled Blaziken back into his Pokéball and I begun to radio the base about sending in a helicopter to pick up the cargo (my favorite getaway vehicle, by the way, because anything on tires can fall over on an imbalance or near an explosion).

"This is Rocket Administrator Eric Claid." I said into the radio, "We are en route to the final stage of the pick up of Pokérus Pokéballs and request Helicopter Transport to pick up me and my squad."

"Copy that, Admin Claid," the operator acknowledged, "state the location of the pickup of the cargo."

"Entrance to underground walkway south of Cerulean City," I confirmed, "we are currently pressed for time, so I would request this be done swiftly."

"Roger that." The operator confirmed. "Transport will arrive in twenty minutes."

"Affirmative, Claid out." I said, before shutting off my radio from that particular channel.

We were arriving at the Cerulean City Pokémon Center, where I released Alakazam for the Teleport back to the rendezvous point… I still had to make sure of one thing, though. The complication was starting to nag on me, and I needed to make sure it was just a false suspicion. I turned on my radio back to our local channel…

"This is Postman to Engineer," I spoke into the mic, "Postman to engineer, do you read me?"

"This…ngh, this is Engineer. Go ahead." Kevin said, his voice sounded strained, and that didn't sound very good in my book. I pretended to ignore it.

"What is the Status of the Cargo, Engineer?" I asked, requesting a signal.

"We're A-OK," Kevin said, using the casual term instead of the professional "status is green" term, which I instructed was the sign for bad news.

"OK, then. We will be arriving back at the rendezvous point shortly, be on alert." I said. I looked at Alakazam, he knew what I wanted him to do, but he nodded towards the driver and passenger, since they aren't psychic.

"OK, you two, we got a problem." I told the two grunts, "Kevin has just given the signal for trouble, I'm not gonna explain much due to time, but I will have Alakazam Teleport us behind the entrance building to the tunnel. If I say 'False Alarm', radio Base and tell them to wait in the nearby forest two miles east of the entrance. If it's actually a false alarm, then, you'll hear 'all clear.'"

The grunts nodded in understanding. I then left the infected Pokéball (the one I took for myself) behind me as I put my hands on the grunts shoulders. I closed my eyes and a second later, we were out in the field behind the entrance.

"Remember the plan." I reminded the grunts, and then Alakazam and I crept into the entrance of the tunnel building… I strained my ears to try and listen, but I heard nothing but a few unfamiliar voices, none of which I could distinguish any words from.  
Alakazam, who was levitating behind me, floated a little forward. I looked at him, with an idea occurring to me…

_Can you use Psychic and levitate me over the steps?_ I thought towards Alakazam, _I want to see what's going on, but without making much noise._

Alakazam nodded; he'll do it. I then found myself levitating and then hovering slightly above the ground… carefully, I inched closer to the edge of the wall, and I finally saw what was going on…

The Grunts were down, either paralyzed, or tied up, and a group of men were with them. I got back up, inched away from the stairs and

"False Alarm, people… False Alarm." I muttered into the microphone. "For the two grunts nearby, you know what to do."

"So you gonna show yourself, ma'am?" I heard a burly, perhaps rough voice speak into the mic. I didn't forget that voice… especially when I had to face this guy early in my early battles towards the Indigo Plateau.

The man talking… was the third Gym leader in the series of eight… a guy who looks down at trainers just starting out on their journeys. This guy has cronies if there's ever a time where he can't do something with his Pokémon alone (which wasn't often), and his Electric Pokémon are some of the toughest opponents around.

The man talking on the mic, mistaking me for a lady (I'd laugh if this weren't so serious), and acting so confident… was the Gym leader of Vermillion City, Lt. Surge.

_Oh…Shit…_ I swore in thought, _This is going to get ugly… this is going to get VERY ugly._


	12. Chapter 11: Out of the eye, in the storm

Chapter 11: Out of the eye, into the storm

"So, You gonna show y'self?" The voice of Lt. Surge said.

I turned the mic back on.

"Perhaps," I replied, "when you realize, I'm no lady."

I walked down the stairs casually, when I saw Surge's face, I noticed all the color drained out of it. His confident smile found itself flipped over into a gawking moment of surprise. I got down to half of the stairway, making my distance between Surge's cronies, and myself.

"Hey, Surge." I called, "Long time, no see…"

"YOU!?" he bellowed, pointing at me and turning towards Kevin. He looked back, almost ready to laugh. "You losers bein' led by DAT KID!?" he started to laugh, his cronies joined in. I noticed Kevin baring his teeth. He was humiliated, and I can't blame him…

_Hey, can you untie them from here?_ I asked Alakazam,

_Not if I can't see the restraints, you'll have to be my eyes, and get a look of the ropes so I can untie them. I'll also tell them to wait until you give the signal._ Alakazam answered, _But more importantly, you're going to have stall for time._

_Got it, I'll keep them occupied._ I replied, looking back at Surge.

"Hey, I got time, let's talk," I said. "Fine, these people are being led by yours truly, but haven't you stopped to consider how I came to this rank?"

A couple of Surge's cronies stepped sharply to approach me, a few of them still snickering. Surge called them off, and the laughter died down fast, and even the expression on the Vermillion Gym leader's mug became serious. "OK, let's chat."

I looked over the area and I was able to locate the ropes that tied up Kevin and the others. The punks supposed to watch them were not paying attention.

"I'll bet you're pretty confident, huh, Surge." I commented, "Catching all the grunts I command, leaving me against all of you."

"Dat's what ya get for bein' stupid, kid." Surge said, arrogance filled in every word. "Now I got some questions ta ask ya."

"Okay then, I'm up for a little Q&A. By all means, ask away." I shrugged at Surge in a gesture of indifference.

"What's da big idea wit all dese Pokéballs? Whaddya want 'em for?"

I decided to push his buttons. "No comment."

"Tch." Surge dismissed it, and then he proceeded. "What's your deal? How'd you of all people, end up commanda?"

"No comment."

"Okay, den… At least tell me why." Surge narrowed his eyes at me. "Why, of all sense, did ya join tem Rockets anyways?"

I hesitated upon hearing that one. "No…comment."

I was definitely filing down his patience, because he surely looked frustrated. "Isn't there _anything_ you willing to tell me!?"

"Apparently not, so 'no comment.'"

As Surge was displaying his anger, Alakazam gave me the heads up that everyone was untied, and I was ready to make my closing.

"Well, it's been so much fun chatting for a bit and apparently testing your patience…" I said, "But let me tell you two things. One, I don't have any good reason to explain about me aside from my 'learning a filthy lesson in the Plateau.' Two…" I breathed deep, then-

"AAAMBUUUSH!!!"

Everyone leaped up to their feet, shouting and released their Pokémon almost instantly. I knew the main ones… a spherical Pokémon with holes all over and a crossbones sign under the face, identified as Koffing, and its evolved form, which looks like an attempt to clone Koffing gone wrong. Three spheres of sorts, two with faces, one not big enough to even hold an eye, all linked together, identified as Weezing. Then there were the purple rattlesnake-like Pokémon known as Ekans, and the cobra-like Pokémon known as Arbok (Ekans' evolved form). Kevin's Umbreon was also in the fray, along my releasing Blaziken with Alakazam (who revealed himself).

The surprise worked in my favor, the lieutenant and his buddies were all caught off guard and hesitated. "Alakazam, immobilize them." I said simply, and then the lieutenant and his groupies were glowing slightly, being forced to remain frozen the way they were, except with their expressions, which really were seriously panicked. I walked past the lackeys, standing directly in front of Surge.

"oooo," I cooed in an insulting manner, remembering why I primarily had a beef about Surge. "What's te matta. Can't move?" I gave Surge the kind of look one would say "I told you so", and then the grunts started laughing, even though Kevin looked about ready to swing.

I then pointed towards Kevin and three grunts and told them to carry the sack to the Vermillion exit. The rest of us turned to walk away behind out comrades, Kevin snorted a swear word at Surge, which was perfectly justifiable. I stopped and looked back at the temporarily frozen group.

"'Shocking', isn't this…?" I taunted, "That's what you get for being an overconfident idiot. Smell ya later, 'wittle baby Surge.'"

"Not this time, Team Rocket!" someone called from behind the group.

I stopped where I was. The voice I heard was female, about the age of fifteen to sixteen… definitely the tomboyish type, but only slightly. I turned around, and at the bottom of the stairs, was a girl who fit the age bill of the voice, about aged fifteen or sixteen, red hair bundled to her left. She was wearing a slightly fancy tan outfit with complementing shorts along with red and white sneakers. Cerulean Gym Leader Misty stood at the spot I entered in, and she's the one problem I HOPED I wouldn't have to come across.

Still, I didn't think she'd announce her arrival with something so… predictable…

"Uhh, Cliché much?" I remarked, staring at Misty, "I guess you've been running into Jesse and James a little too much, eh, 'twerp?'" I snickered at finding I struck a nerve.

Misty then gave me a half eyed glare; knowing her experiences with Jesse and James, I knew what she might be thinking.

"If you think for a minute that I'm gonna announce the stupid excuse for a motto," I declared, "Then you got another thing coming! Blaziken, use Flamethrower!"

Blaziken shot a stream of fire at the ground at the opposing crowd. They raised their arms to shield themselves from the heat, which was enough to buy me some time. The Lieutenant's little group wasn't glowing when I starting seriously making tracks. The rate I was running almost felt inhuman, though, for reasons even I don't really know why. I looked back and saw Blaziken in a distance, I recalled him, making sure he wasn't going to be left behind.

"Uhh, Eric…" Alakazam said vocally.

"What?"

"LEFT!!"

I strafed left, a Thunderbolt fired off past my right and hit the grunt that held the sack. The stun caused him to stagger a few steps before fall forward, with the sack of Pokéballs on top of him.

"Dammit!" I cursed. I grabbed Blaziken's Pokéball and threw it forward, releasing him again.

"Blaziken, hand me the sack, and help him."

I caught the body sized sack and hoisted it over my shoulders (wow, this thing's lightweight), the downed grunt was on Blaziken's back, and we were quickly on the move again. I looked ahead, and I found some of Surge's groupies must have stayed behind to cut us off.

I looked behind, and I looked in front, dammit… just another one of those moments where the good guys might actually win against a masterminded evildoer. I found I was in a bad spot… and I had to think fast, if Misty and Surge got here, then their combined strength alone could wipe us out.

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower!" I ordered, "Everyone else, Plow through the enemy flank, NOW!!"

I looked back to determine how far the enemy was behind us (not that far, Damn, and Misty's the one in front), then looked back. The groupies were down, not seriously injured, but stunned instead.

Misty and Surge's group were getting closer. "GO GO GOOOO!!!" I shrieked. As we got to the doorway that led outside, I found Mark stop and turn around.

"We can take them!!" Mark shouted, brimming with confidence.

"No we can't, now MOVE IT!!" I demanded.

"Why not!?"

I couldn't BELIEVE this guy's recklessness! "Water is weak against Electricity, but together they make a powerful combo. We're _fried _if we fight here, now MOVE!!"

Mark was not happy about my urgency, but he moved on anyways. We reached the surface afterwards, and I completely forgot about the helicopter. I turned on my radio to check on it…

"This is Eric Claid requesting status of Helicopter, this is urgent, We are on the Retreat from two gym leaders and a small group of trainers, over."

"Roger Eric Claid," the pilot said, "The Helicopter has you on visual south of your direction"

_South of my direction…_ I thought… then it hit me, _they're behind us!_

I looked behind me, and sure enough, a helicopter was hovering in the distance… far enough not to be heard. I looked downward, now in front of me, and found that both Gym Leaders had also spotted it…

"Well, it's all come down to this…" I said, finally facing the fact that running is no longer an option, "We're taking these Pokéballs for the sake of research. Either you let us pass, and we start the research at our facility… or you get in our way, and we'll force our way through."

"But we've already got someone to research it," Misty protested, "Why not let them take care of it?

"Because, scientists around YOU don't know what to look for… not even some of the best professors could figure it out!"

Surge was enjoying the moment of triumph at cornering me. He and his cronies had their Pokémon set to battle, and Misty's Corsola and Starmie were also out. At the same time, everyone's Pokémon from my side were poised to fight. For me, though, Charizard and Marshtomp were still in their Pokéballs.

I assessed the situation quickly. In order to get to the helicopter, I had to go past these fifteen or so trainers, and TWO Gym Leaders. The gym leaders had four to five strong Pokémon, with the cronies having one or two wimps. All I had with me were five men, and a guy a year older than I am, each varying from one to three Pokémon, while I had four. I looked around with my eyes alone; there were three Ekans, two Arboks, four Koffings, and one Weezing.

Alakazam must have read my mind ahead of time, because then he started informing me of what the Pokémon can do. All the Koffing and the lone Weezing can use Sludge, Explosion and Smokescreen. All of the Ekans and Arboks can use Poison Sting, Glare, Wrap and Toxic; Poison Sting fires off solidified liquid darts with a weak poison that can make a pokémon fall ill when hit with a large quantity, and Toxic spews out a dangerously powerful, poisonous liquid that can make anyone not immune to it _very _sick, _very_ fast. Wrap's a no brainer, and Glare... uhh, is apparently scary enough to leave an opponent frozen on the spot (how almost everyone finds it so bad is beyond me).

The plan formed already, but I hoped Alakazam was able to handle it… I looked at him, and he nodded. Now all I need was a small diversion.

The Standoff didn't last long, perhaps a few seconds, and yet it felt like a few minutes… not far from my line of sight, a news van parked about a few meters away from the enemy crowd, near the Cerulean tunnel entrance.

_Oh goodies, WE'RE ON TV!!_ I thought sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

*bshhhshhshsh* "—eems to be a standoff upon arrival" I heard someone say through an unknown mic, "Will Team Rocket be able to escape the two Gym Leaders _and_ the small mob of trainers?"

I found this standoff to last long enough. "OK, people." I began instructing to the grunts, "This is gonna be one of the toughest battles you're gonna face in your entire career, and victory here will earn you guys a LOT of good points with the Boss."

"Now we're talkin'." Surge shouted, and his Pokémon stood ready to fight, the Pokémon in them were Magneton (a trio of Magnemite, an iron steel ball, with a screw on top and two magnets on either side of it), Jolteon (Electric Evolution to Eevee, yellow and white with spines all over, pointing behind it) and of course, Raichu. Misty's Corsola and Starmie also got set.

The groupies made the first move, "Magnemite, use Thunderbolt!"

The lone Magnemite let loose a swift strike of electricity, but the energy moved slower than regular lightning.

"Flamethrower, Blaziken." I commanded calmly, Blaziken fired, and it immediately resulted in a stalemated explosion. I Recalled Blaziken and swapped out for Charizard, and then hopped on his back, sack over my shoulder and Alakazam hovering next to me.

"Kevin, Mark and…" I pointed to a grunt in between Mark and me, named George, " you three keep the enemy distracted, use whatever you need to with whatever distant attack your Pokémon have." I pointed to the remaining two grunts. "You two, do whatever you have to and clear an escape route for everyone, got it?"

"Yes, Sir!" they acknowledged.

The smoke cleared, and from it were 7 or so Pokémon charging at us. Charizard took flight and flew towards the helicopter. I kept the microphone on, and listened to what was going on through the news bulletin.

"The Battle has begun! A Team Rocket member has flown up with his Charizard to get the package delivered, intending to leave his companions behind. The Gym leaders seem to be gaining the upper hand at the moment, so it's only a matter of time before we find out where that package is."

_Desertion, like I'd want to leave my squad behind._ I thought irritably, _Idiots…_

_Eric!_ Alakazam shouted, and I steered Charizard to the right, spotting a Thunderbolt zip past.

"Light Screen!" I commanded, and a golden yellow shield surrounded Charizard and I.

A series of stars hit the barrier, Swift wouldn't do good either, There were other attacks flying by, by as we approached the helicopter, I didn't pay attention.

The helicopter was definitely not a good place for Charizard to fly close to, so I asked him to hover a couple meters underneath. Through Alakazam, I teleported onto the helicopter, and deposited the sack of Pokéballs. I released Marshtomp in order to watch the sack, despite his protests.

I then jumped down back onto Charizard, gliding back towards the battlefield, but behind the enemy, and out of the newscaster's camera.

I sent out Blaziken, and then I had the most important part of the plan take root. "OK, guys, it seems we don't have much choice, it's time we used the Firestorm combo."

Blaziken and Alakazam recoiled. "The Firestorm Combo!?" Blaziken blurted out, looking at Alakazam "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah, it is, but do YOU see any other idea?"

"Have you gone nuts, Eric?" Charizard said behind me. "You've been acting strange since the day you were attacked."

I started getting angry, I closed my eye in an attempt to hold it back, I felt as if my frustration was like a wildfire.

I dunno if Alakazam noticed through my body language or by reading my pissed off mind, but he exhaled sharply in distaste…

"Fine, We'll do this. But once this is over, we need to talk."

"Alakazam! Are you--!?" Blaziken started to argue, I glared at him. But after a moment's pause, he looked at Alakazam in a look of discovery. My Fire type starter Pokémon looked at me, and the expression in his eyes looked like that of worry. I ignored it.

"Let's go." I said quickly, and began running in the direction of the enemy crowd.

I flashed a look at my three Pokémon, a giant fireball was forming from the fire of the two Fire Type Pokémon. The Firestorm was almost finished, so I figured, it's now or never.

I put my thumb and middle finger in my mouth, almost closing the airway, and I took a deep breath.

*PHWEEEWWEEEEEEE* I whistled, and I whistled loud.

The cronies nearest me turned around. Their Pokémon also turned as well, and as a group, they looked at me as if I was a goner, and the expression didn't change when Blaziken arrived next to me a few seconds later.

Suddenly, I felt like I wanted to laugh, I don't know why, it just felt funny to have something up my sleeve. I snickered at first, the cronies further away started looking at me, and they advanced towards me as well.

Blaziken started to look panicked, not at them, but at me. I felt like I was in Comedy Central, the running gag is "idiots not paying attention to the trick up my sleeve". They got closer, I just started laughing, I don't know what was so funny about having a trick up my sleeve, it just felt funny having one. I took a deep breath and activated the radio, and I made the last part of the escape plan take action.

"I know someone is broadcasting this battle, and probably even the radio channel I'm using." I declared, "But this fight is over, and those of you thinking otherwise, look up."  
I paused, and as I figured, the reporter responded to it.

"As you just heard, a young boy has just announced that this fight is over, we are currently searching the air and we have not found—wait. What in the world!? A Charizard and an Alakazam are in the air with a giant fireball in between them! What does this young man have planned with it?"

I made the signal. "You all want to know what I plan to use it for, Here it is!" then at Alakazam and Charizard, "Alakazam, Charizard, unleash the Fire Storm!!"

Immediately, orange missiles of fire shot out from the fireball towards the center of the enemy group and in front of me towards the advancing punks. A few of the Pokémon tried to block it, but most of them hit in a wide area down the center, causing small explosions upon impact. Plus, the crowd cleared out in that area during the onslaught­— along with knocking away the advancing cronies advancing, it left a path for the grunts to go through.

The two grunts I assigned to find an escape route told everyone to book it. I looked back. Charizard was refueling the fireball with Flamethrower, only to have Alakazam fire a second wave in a walled passage, preventing the enemy from catching up or trying to stop them. I decided to listen in with the news again, and I felt satisfied with what I was hearing.

"The fireball was a ruse!" the reporter shouted, "The intended attack was a series of Fire Blasts fired at the group of trainers. They seemed to have cleared out, which left Team Rocket an escape route. Who would have thought Team Rocket has grown so smart, and will they ever be stopped now?"

"Tch, and that's a wrap, folks." I concluded as all the grunts dashed past the enemy crowd.

I filed the grunts past me as they rushed towards the helicopter, one of dudes apparently was making it sound funny by yelling "Get in da choppa!!" in some punk attitude. Marshtomp was trying to keep the sack in place, as if there actually was trouble keeping it on the helicopter without falling off. I recalled Charizard and Blaziken just as the last grunts boarded all in the helicopter, and the machine began to start flying.

I looked back once more at the diminishing figures of the two Gym Leaders and the cronies. Mission accomplished, it was risky, and it risked injury to people, but it worked, and we are able to turn in some specimens for research.

Unfortunately, I was far from fine at the moment. All that thinking was giving me a headache and a bad mood, and maybe a small feeling of weakness. So despite the fact that the grunts were real pleased at the performance I helped them do, I slacked back into my seat. I felt tired, irritated, and stuck with a newfound migraine.

I figured I'd fall asleep during the helicopter ride back to base, the reporter made her last bit about how it might be tough to explain this to the Trainers, before going off the air. Knowing everyone else, I'm gonna wind up on the news, and someone's gonna either praise me, or gawk at me. I wouldn't care, of course, I was doing my job

"Uuuugh," I groaned, "What a pain in the neck."


	13. Chapter 12: Big Change

**Chapter 12: Big change…**

**"OK everyone," I announced wearily, "Everyone did pretty good today, so I'll let everyone take one Pokéball from the sack, and let your Pokémon experience this Pokérus."**  
**We came back to base about a half an hour later, according to Mark. Syrus was waiting for me on taking the sack. Beforehand, though, I decided to let everyone take a Pokéball and pass on this virus to their Pokémon. After everything was taken care of, I dismissed everyone. Only about an hour later, I got comments from loads of people about what happened. Sure enough, it was on the news, and at a time where I actually got to see it.**  
**"Team Rocket strikes again." Said the reporter, stating the headline, "And with new tactics that seem to make them unstoppable. The Vermillion City, Cerulean City path had recently taken a blow to their pride when Gym leaders Misty and Lt. Surge were unable to defeat the tactics of this Rocket attack. Officer Jennys of Cerulean and Vermillion are still curious on why Team Rocket would want to steal Pokéballs that have been identified as infected with the mysterious virus known as 'Pokérus'. Recent battle footage has shown that a young man, of about age 17, used a surprise attack comprised of the Pokémon moves Fire Blast and Psychic with his two Pokémon. This attack was all he needed to get Team Rocket out of trouble and away from authorities."**  
**Everything I said when I set the signal for the Firestorm combo was relayed in the footage. Everything that had been said by the on-scene newscaster was also broadcasted. People all over HQ were looking at me with interest, as if they admired me… I dunno if what I did was spectacular enough. But apparently they thought so.**

**I walked over to my quarters and locked the door. I then decided to slouch onto my bed, and I closed my eyes. I have never felt so tired before, and I felt like I was growing a fever.**  
**I released Alakazam, Blaziken and Charizard from their Pokéballs. I remember that Alakazam wanted to talk to me about hat happened. I felt weird, though, as like floaty all of a sudden, as if I wasn't in control…**  
**"Eric." Alakazam said solemnly, "You feeling OK?"**  
**I shook my head.**  
**"Are you able to recall what gone through your mind during the battle?"**  
**I thought back on what happened during the mission. My accepting Mark's challenge to a battle later on, the suspicious moment with Surge, the complication, the battle, my delivery of the sack to the chopper, then the rest felt like a blur, something tough to picture… it was as if I couldn't see what happened before the moment of escape, but after the point of delivery to the chopper.**  
**I tried to remember… I heard laughter, my laughter, and then I thought on what I said in the radio during that time on the news…**

**_"It's time we used the Firestorm combo." __  
__Blaziken and Alakazam recoiled. "The Firestorm!?" Blaziken blurted out, looking at Alakazam "Isn't that dangerous?" __  
__"Yeah, it is, but do YOU see any other idea?" __  
__"Have you gone nuts, Eric?" Charizard said behind me. "You've been acting strange since the day you were attacked."_**

**I suddenly didn't feel floaty anymore… it was as if whatever was locking my memory or something was gone. Blaziken looked at me long and sharp. I broke eye contact first, though.**  
**"Sorry, guys…" I said, "I guess I wasn't acting like myself."**  
**"OK, as long as we all understand that," Blaziken said. "I think a few rounds with the punching bag should get your mind off things, right?"**  
**I nodded. I need to get my mind off things, and I felt pretty lousy since the mission, so I figured it might be wise to find something to do.**  
**I got up quickly, and then immediately got a headache again. "Ugh, first things first, I'd better go visit the doc. This headache is driving me crazy."**

**I walked off to visit the doctor, who was about five meters away from Giovanni's office. The doctor had me checked up, and despite my normal body temperature, I was definitely showing symptoms of a fever (Severe headache, weakness, rapid dehydration, I went through five bottles of water and I'm still thirsty). It was when he took my blood pressure that he found something strange… my blood pressure was normal, but my arm remained stiff… and he found that something's different about my muscles. He took a DNA sample and told me he'll give me the results in about a few hours or so, before he let me go.**  
**_Weird, what might be up with me now?_ I thought, still a little weary…**  
**I grabbed one of those bigger containers of water next to me, and just started chugging the thing without thinking. Suddenly, Alakazam came out of his Pokéball by himself, and I finally felt refreshed when I looked around.**  
**"What the…" Alakazam uttered a swear word, "Eric, do you realize how much water you drank, and how big that container is!?"**  
**I looked at what was in my hand, it was about three gallons worth of water, and I just downed half of it. I snickered hysterically about it.**  
**"Uhh, I guess I'll keep this as my new water bottle. Ehh hehe" I said, freaked out.**  
**Damn… I finally made it to the weight room, and I found a Machop and Machoke sitting near the weights, briefly looking up towards me.**  
**"Ah, it's just the kid." Machop, about the size of a small boy. Grey skinned, got the kind of head that displays some dude with his hair gelled back. Despite its small size, Machop's strong enough to throw the heaviest of dudes WAY OUT THERE. Apparently he must be thinking I'm just another punk…**  
**"Hey, isn't that the kid most of the Trainers have been talking about?" Machoke inquired. Machoke, evolved form of Machop, is just about as close to human as a professional wrestler. Grey skinned, like Machop; wear's some kind of (ugh) "Speedo" of sorts with a gold colored belt with a red letter "P" in the center.**  
**"Who, that Claid kid?" Machop said. "Beh, I'll admit he's good in a Pokémon Battle, but he's toast in a fistfight. Sucks how they can't understand me, I'd be makin Masta Sensei in no time."**  
**I couldn't focus on the Punching bag, I was actually curious about what kind of Martial arts they could help me with. In Fact, I never really took much Self Defense, I just took all the basic training as a grunt, and that went far enough in a fistfight (despite the fact that yeah, I get pulped more often).**  
**"Well, I can probably give you a start on that." I said, "I recall that most of you Machop study a lot of martial arts, so maybe I could learn something from you."**  
**Machop looked at me funny and glanced at Machoke, who stared at me in surprise, then glanced back at me.**  
**"Did he just try to talk to me?" he said, "meh, maybe it was his Alakazam, he's learned to talk through thou—"**  
**"Yes, Machop, I'm talking to you… and by the way, Alakazam is still in his Pokéball." I looked at Machoke, "And Machoke, what kind of things were said about me?"**  
**Machoke looked a little awkward, having to respond to some thing I said. "Well, apparently, the first was from the other Pokémon, and you seem to already prove that."**  
**"Yeah, I can understand you guys now."**  
**"You're serious…?"**  
**"Yes I am."**  
**Machop raised his hands, "OK, ok, I get it." We both looked a Machop. "So, you're able to understand what a Pokémon can say eh? I guess you could make a good start for my potential career." Machop sized me up, looking up and down at me. "Heh, you look like you've got potential, though I warn ya, you're gonna need about 2 hours of available time every day, you got that kind of time?"**  
**I thought about it… the only time where I got something going on, is usually when I visit the Club. So if I skipped going to the Club for a while, I might have time to spend with Machop. I explained when I had time, and when it was.**  
**Machop raised his eyebrows, and told me we have extra time, possibly three and a half hours a day. He also old me how his little program worked, Since Machop knows the most in martial arts, he'll explain how each move works, and his partner, Machoke, will demonstrate it. The arts to be taught would be the usual, Karate, Kung-fu, Jujitsu, and then this other fighting style he calls "Break Fighting".**  
**"Break Fighting?" I asked.**  
**"You know of that human show called Break dancing? Break Fighting's something I invented based on that… you'll need to have some serious flexibility to use it, though."**  
**Now THAT'S a surprise… a Pokémon inventing a fighting style based on something we do.**  
**Machop then explained that he could let one, MAYBE two Pokémon of mine learn alongside me, but only on the condition that they are closely monitored. I agreed, and explained everything to Blaziken, who found it just as interesting as I did.**  
**"OK, so now that we have everything settled, you better tell your friends that you're going to be busy for awhile."**

**I arrived at the club, with little surprise, an hour late. Everyone was talking about what I've been doing lately, and it looks like Sam was trying to communicate with Kevin with little, but increasing, success.**  
**"Hey, Eric, where were you?" Nikki asked.**  
**"Making arrangements with someone." I replied.**  
**"'Arrangements'?"**  
**"Yeah. So I'm probably going to be not in club for a few days."**  
**Mike, and eventually Kevin, started eyeing me suspiciously. Understandably, this was a first for me as well, since I never skipped Club before until now.**  
**"So I guess we all gotta try cooking, huh?" Mike said, perhaps a little bummed.**  
**I thought that one over… then I sent out Alakazam, an idea occurring to me.**  
**Through telepathy, I explained everything to Alakazam, and asked if he could substitute for me in regards to cooking. I told him that I would be out of Club for awhile, and they would probably freak if they found I was learning martial arts from a Pokémon called Machop.**  
**_Sure, I'll keep an eye on things, on the condition that you let me know what goes on afterwards._ he said.**  
**After that, I explained that I'm going to be elsewhere for a while, I'll still be on base, but elsewhere… I decided to cook dinner, which was prime sirloin steaks with corn and mashed potatoes. Everyone liked the meal, as usual, and afterwards I strolled over to my room, various grunts complimenting what I did on that mission.**  
**I got to my room, with my thoughts buzzing about what I'll be doing. I lied down face up on my bed, and Blaziken sat down against the wall nearby.**  
**_Boy, I dunno how this might work out, but I've known Machops to be experts in martial arts._ I thought, somewhere between excited and perhaps a bit hesitant, _Still… he's right about one thing, I'm not exactly as good in a real fistfight compared to a Pokémon Battle. So this might probably benefit me in more ways than one._**  
**"Can't wait, huh?" Blaziken said, interrupting my thoughts.**  
**"Yea…" I said, in a trancelike tone.**  
**"Can't blame ya, though. While this could benefit you in a fistfight, this could benefit _me_ in whatever battle I face later"**  
**"hehe, I guess it's a good thing I inquired about that, huh?"**  
**"Yep."**  
**I felt peaceful, hanging out with Blaziken as if he were human; a best friend I can finally talk to. I guess the feeling I could just feel is peaceful. I never felt that like this, a feeling just so… warm… A feeling so cozy, I could just smile as I closed my eyes and relaxed.**  
**"Hey, Blaziken…"**  
**"Yeah?"**  
**A familiar feeling passed over me. The feeling of knowing I'm not alone… the kind of feeling… It's like being best friends with your brother, just such a happy feeling.**  
**"I'm glad I can understand you guys now."**  
**I guess he probably felt the same by not answering, but I guess I decided to turn in now, since I was drifting off…**

***KEVIN***  
**The PDA went off, and I knew I was getting a response from this new pen pal, screen named by RareHunterLucas by last recall.**  
**The Admin has definitely been acting weird since the mission. Even Sam was amazed when Eric announced his being absent, Especially since this will be the first time he'll be skipping Club, so everyone says.**  
**Either way, perhaps Kevin can find someone he can talk to after all. Claid looks like a Likable guy off the field; but it's like he's a completely different person _on_ the field… a merciless, and probably dangerous looking dude. Mike looks a bit goofy, and would probably cause things to get awkward. Frank, Frank just seems a bit depressing. Nikki might take some getting used to. But Sam… Sam doesn't seem half bad.**  
**Ever Since I've met Eric Claid, I've been having some doubts about who to befriend, and who to stay away from. Syrus Mitchell sounds like someone worth avoiding, that's for sure. Sam's a bit girly, but she seems unlike the other girls, she isn't some diva who shows off her looks, more like just innocent…**  
**I checked the mail, as I figured, it was from "RareHunterLucas".**

**_Hello, there shadowrain10, __  
__I see u know Sam. well u should be happy I am not like her at all. Except for the fact that we both know my mom, lol. Well I hope that things work out with u 2. Oh, and Sam and I have NEVER met in person, only online. I am in Sinnoh right now. I guess Sam didn't tell you that, huh? Well, I have to go now I am spending time with my Girlfriend… so ya bye._**

**I closed my PDA, and I sat down on my desk.**  
**could I find some people worth hanging out with? Ever since my childhood with a drunken old whore called my mother, I've been a little cautious with the more outgoing type of person… even Darkness, my Umbreon, knows that… and yet, when he speaks out, it's like he's trying to tell me something. I wish I knew what it was, though. Eric's Alakazam is able to talk to him through telepathy, and Eric himself supposedly rumored to be able to understand what a Pokémon says without help.**  
**"What a weird dude," I said aloud. "I wonder if he's as nice a guy as they say…"**  
**_  
_*ERIC***  
**_It's just like the last two times. I was floating over what seemed like a volcano. I was floating face up, with my back facing the crater. I then felt the warmth… except, it felt different. It didn't feel soothing, like that of a Mother's love. It felt fierce, fiery, like a rage… like that of revenge. The rage felt like screaming, like some sort of battle cry, as if it was going to some kind of war. I wanted to scream that battle cry, but I held it in, growling instead. __  
__The Rage got stronger… as if it as fighting. I still managed to hold it at bay, but I ended up growling slightly louder… __  
__I kept it at bay, but it felt like I was trying to hold down something huge. I then started to feel exhausted, my control was loosening, I felt like I was snarling, and I get the feeling that something was up._**

***BLAZIKEN (3rd person)***  
**Blaziken was woken up by some kind of noise coming from Eric. He looked up and found Eric was seized up, all incredibly stiff and trembling. He put a hand on Eric's arm, and it flung out, and sent him flying acrossed the room. Slightly winded, Blaziken got to his feet again, panicked. He then grabbed Eric's belt, and tried to remember which Pokéball he was supposed to look for.**  
**_Dammit, which one of those had him??_ he thought, frustrated. Then he remembered, it was the one left of the belt buckle. He grabbed it, Pressed the button, and it opened. Eric went quiet the instant that it opened, but he was still stiff.**  
**Alakazam stood there, sleepy. He wiped his eyes, and then looked up at Blaziken.**  
**"You better have a good reason to wake me up at this time of night, Blaziken." Alakazam muttered, understandably irritated.**  
**All Blaziken had to do was point at Eric, and then Alakazam understood.**  
**"Oh…Good enough." he said, "OK, this time we'll get it. We didn't have a camera the first time, but we'll get it this time."**  
**Blaziken went into Eric's bedside table, and opened the drawer. He felt strange in doing this, at grabbing the small rectangular box the humans called a Camera, along with a small black stick with a small piece of glass at the end, called a flashlight. He handed the camera to Alakazam, who made it float next to him. He then slowly made Eric's left eye open up, and they both flinched at what they saw in the dimmed evening light.**  
**Eric's eye wasn't the usual brown color that it usually looks. But more like orange, like the color on Blaziken. The black spot, called the Pupil, according to Alakazam, looked like it had been squeezed into a line. He started snarling again, and quickly, Alakazam turned on the flashlight. Something white caused Eric's eye to glow brighter. Then Alakazam took the box, and put it to his face.**  
**"Uh, what are you doing?" Blaziken asked.**  
***Click***  
**"Taking a picture." Alakazam said.**  
**"Taking a picture?"**  
**Alakazam looked at Blaziken, and showed him the black box. Eric's eye didn't glow anymore, and instead, the back of the camera was glowing. Blaziken then saw a small rectangular piece of glass.**  
**"You look through that peephole. And then press a button," Alakazam explained, "and everything will instantly be portrayed in the camera, ready to be developed into photographs."**  
**"GRrrrrRRRRRGH" Eric growled, baring his—**  
**"What the-…" Alakazam used a word that the humans called a "swear word". At last recall, Eric called that particular word the "F-word"; a word that Eric demanded be put on as much restraint as possible. He insisted that the F-word is not to be said by any means unless for a good reason.**  
**This was a good reason, though, because when Blaziken was told to point the flashlight at Eric's mouth, he felt immobilized. His teeth had grown fangs, the two canines were longer, and sharper. The light caused those teeth to glow, but then they started shrinking.**  
***Click***  
**Alakazam took another picture while the fangs were halfway shrunk…**  
**"Got'em." Alakazam said simply.**  
**"I wonder what's going on in his head." Blaziken mused.**  
**"I already tried to read him, but something's not letting me." Alakazam said.**  
**They stood where they were for a few minutes next to Eric, now sleeping peacefully again. They then decided they'd better get back to sleep as well. Blaziken put away the camera and flashlight. He sat down next to where he was before, and closed his eyes. But then Eric made a small moaning noise, as if trying to stay asleep, until he spoke in a murmur, but enough to understand.**

**"Legendary…rainbow…**  
**You must be…_Ho-oh_."**

***ERIC***  
**_I felt in control again. The rage I had put up with for what felt like an hour, had disappeared. I was then filled with what felt like some secondary presence, as if there was someone next to me. __  
__"Ho-oh." I said. "The Rainbow Pokémon. Only seen by those who live in harmony with…"—realization hit me then—"Pokémon." __  
__"Not very many humans treat Pokémon as equals as much as yourself. You treat your Pokémon as you would a fellow human being. And as such, you've been selected as my human manifest."__  
__I thought that over. For something to manifest, means for something to take root in, to start in. but the way the Rainbow legend states it sounds like another word… __  
__"You mean, I'm to represent you among other human beings??" __  
__"Your ability and the pendant are proof enough."__ Ho-oh said, still invisible to my mind's eye. __  
__I was silent then… once, I thought it was the pendant that allows an understanding of Pokémon. Now I realize that the pendant was just calling out, I was able to understand Pokémon without it, it just never came to me. __  
__"Why do I feel that I'm able to do more than talk to Pokémon?" I thought aloud. __  
__"That depends,"__ Ho-oh said, __"on the harmony between yourself and your Pokémon brothers…"_**

**I woke up, confused.**  
**"Harmony… between me and my Pokémon…" I wondered.**  
**Blaziken was still asleep, I checked the clock, "4:30 AM"… I figured I might as well get a couple more hours of rest, and laid down and shut my eyes…**

**The Manifest of Ho-oh has finally been realized… The Dark One was finally going to get it's wish, to find a human body and mind to copy, and use it's knowledge to create a world of shadow. The corruption already spread through what the humans called the "Orre" Region. But pretty soon, the Kanto Region, and this "Eric Claid," will discover the corrosive feel of what the shadow can accomplish…**  
**"Soon, young human… that potential will be mine to control."_  
_Ho-oh was foolish… they _all_ are foolish. To choose such pathetic creatures to assist with their power. They were foolish enough to think these humans cannot be corrupted… once the human nears it's peak of emergence, they will bow down to the shadow of the Dark One. The only thing left to do… is to have the human come within grasp…..**

***KEVIN, a few weeks later***

**RareHunterLucas,I think I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable over here in Team Rocket. Not because I'm learning to join in on their fun (which I still find is wrong, stealing Pokémon and celebrating. UGH), But because I've finally managed to socialize with everyone at Club.It's been about four weeks (that's a long time, that's for sure) since I started writing. And Claid still doesn't attend Club. In Fact, I found the he was at the workout room, mimicking the movements of the Machop and Machoke, as if he was being taught by them. I asked him when I visit his room, and man did I find a shock. He was being taught Martial arts from the Machop and Machoke!! I dunno how that's possible, since the Pokémon only say their names when they speak… but who knows, maybe he's different.Life at the Club has gotten a lot more entertaining, Eric's Alakazam is as good a cook as Eric himself, and while it isn't supposed to be a surprise, it is. Isn't it interesting to have a Pokémon cook like a professional chef?Good cooking aside, I think the most important thing is that thanks to you and Sam, I managed to learn what it's like to really have fun with friends. I've finally learned to open up, and thanks to that, Darkness and I are finally able to have a lot more in common with the guys in the Club. Thank you Lucas,Your friend,  
Kevin**

*ERIC*

"Focus, FOCUS!!" Machop shouted, "C'mon, you should be able to win this!"  
Machoke swung at me while I was dazed from the last blow, I ducked quickly, and staggered a bit backwards. I regained focus and jabbed, one-two… I hopped slightly forward, Jabbing twice, then swing jabs to the right (I spun myself forward in a left direction, and extended my arms, in a helicopter set of swings). I found my arm being grabbed, I swung the other, and it got clutched as well.  
I was caught, Machoke had both of my wrists, one in each hand.  
"Predictable." He said.  
_Gotcha._ I thought.  
Instantly, I crossed my ankles and swung upwards, to the point where I could literally stand at a right angle to his head, and without a moment's hesitation, I uncrossed them, striking Machoke with a pincer like double kick to the head.

"OOOOOooo…" Machop knew that one HAD to hurt. But since Machoke is a lot stronger than a human, he wouldn't get knocked out by something like that. Still, a blow like that was enough for him to let go of me.

"C'mon Eric, you can beat'im!!" Marshtomp, who was watching, cheered loudly. Using whatever center of balance I got once landing, I pushed myself up with my hands, and sweep-kicked at Machoke's ankles. He jumped them, I shoved at the ground, and I was on my feet again, taking a step back so I don't fall over. Machoke then sent a roundhouse kick my direction, I sidestepped it, responding with a left karate chop at the gut. The karate chop got blocked, I stepped forward and threw a right hook at the same target, the punch scored! Machoke doubled over, I rolled forward and shoved a kangaroo kick upwards towards the chest. Machoke was launched slightly, landing a few feet away.

"OK, That's enough for today." Machop said, I relaxed slightly, and walked towards Machop, who looked at me with a neutral face. I crouched down in front of him… "You've definitely worked pretty hard in getting where you are now, you can color me impressed that you're able to handle Machoke one on one." Machop said. "In fact, Blaziken didn't do too bad either. In a Battle, I can see him using those moves in a pretty fancy firefight. I've pretty much taught ya all I can teach, kid. Congrats!"  
Marshtomp was clapping and cheering "YAAAAAYY", I was first surprised, at finding the in the course of four weeks, I learned a lot from Machop, and I was also encouraged to lift weights to help make learning easier. In fact, last I checked, and I was lifting weights that were so heavy, Blaziken gawked at me and Machop gave me a very impressed look. I forget how heavy, though, except that it was over 100 lbs.

I then felt satisfied at how my hard work is gonna pay off. I learned how to use methods that could break-… well, do some serious damage… to an enemy.  
Machop then winced all of a sudden. During the last two weeks, he's been doing that whenever I come near him after a workout, I figured that I needed a shower, and went off to do so… this was no different, so I decided to walk off towards the door.  
"Hey, Eric…" Machop said, looking puzzled. "There's something I want to know about you… I can tell you noticed, but what is the first thing you assumed as the cause?"  
OK, so I go to shower, then Machop asks about it?  
"I just assumed it was the workout, why do you ask?"  
Machoke crossed his arms, "Because you've been giving off a scent that apparently humans can't smell…" Machop looked at me in the eye, "You smell like you've got the growth virus. I think you humans call it…. Errrm." He closed his eyes, thinking.  
"Growth virus, Is it like Pokérus?"  
Machop opened his eyes in that "I got it!" kind of look. "Yea, that's it! You smell like you've got that Pokérus thing."  
I could just picture question marks popping up in a TV screen, overloading it, and then all of it crashing like glass… leaving me with a brain-dead look of cluelessness.  
Machop slapped his hand on his face, in a gesture of frustration. "OK, let me explain… Whenever a Pokémon has the Growth Virus, or Pokérus as you know it, they wind up giving out a scent that only other Pokémon can sniff. For humans to know, you find out from that place you call the Pokémon Center."  
I took it in, and then I was getting a strange feeling about it.  
"OK, now what does this have to do with me?" I asked.  
"Well, haven't you figured it out yet?" Machoke said, "You have that same scent, You have that Pokérus Virus… which is strange for a human."  
I looked at him in disbelief. _ME, with Pokérus??_ I thought, I had a lot of doubt in it… but I decided to look for proof. _If I really do have Pokérus, what's been changed with me?_

I told Machop I'd let him know of anything new about it, and I walked out, with the though of finding out if I do have Pokérus…  
*PEEP PEEP, PEEP PEEP*  
Suddenly I found my PDA going off, for the first time in the four weeks I was occupied with practice with Machop. I checked my inbox. The one who sent it was.... "What the--!?" I blurted out.

The sender was from S. Oak, THE Professor Oak from Pallet Town and inventor of the Pokémon Dexter, or Pokédex, which stores info of every Pokémon known.

_**Eric Claid, **__**  
**__**I know you're part of Team Rocket, and while I can't seem to understand why you would do such as thing as to join them, I need to talk to you. Meet me at my lab over at Pallet Town. **____**Professionally, **__**  
**__**Prof. Samuel Oak**_

Blaziken walked up beside me and read the letter.  
"Looks like you got an appointment." He said.  
Yeah, I got an appointment all right, and it's probably about something important, especially if Oak wants to talk about it...


	14. Chapter 13: Spreading News

Chapter 13: Spreading News

Finding that I left the "dojo" early, I was able to catch club just as Alakazam and Charizard were cooking lunch. Alakazam looked at me for a second, read my mind, and he admitted that he did sniff what Machop had, some scent that only a Pokémon can sense.  
"Hey, Syrus." I called; Syrus lifted his head and gave me his attention. "Is there anything planned ahead of time, any missions?"  
"Yeah, you're to be expected to get another mission sometime soon. It's going to be a covert mission, though, so it's admins only."  
"OK, can you let me know if it comes in? I don't want to be late for briefing."  
"OK, sure." He shrugged, in a gesture of saying "Whatever", "Actually, where _are_ you going?"  
"To an appointment with someone…" I said, not telling them where.  
Kevin looked curious, I slightly revealed my PDA; he nodded at me, meaning he got the note quickly. Alakazam just got finished with setting everything up for lunch. I figured I might as well get a bite to eat, so I sat down close to the door, thanking Alakazam for being the cook, who made fried rice with fried Magikarp (used to be one of my favorite dishes, though now I feel a little hesitant with the fried Karp. I ate it anyways, though).  
I ate my food quickly, almost too quickly when I almost started choking.  
Once everyone was done, I decided to make my exit. As I did though, I quickly typed a note in my PDA to Kevin.

_**Kevin, **__****_

_**I've got an appointment with Professor Oak in Pallet Town. I dunno why, though, so don't ask. Also, do you think you can keep this quiet? I already know Giovanni would be all over my case if he found out that I paid a visit to the professor's lab and returned empty-handed. **__****_

_**Thanks, **__**  
**_

I paused at making my closing. I contemplated on getting myself a nickname. But… I guess I'll go with a screen name that I'm familiar with, one that I used to use a long time ago before I got skilled at Battling.  
_**Phoenix.**_  
I sent the note, and walked over to the helipad to send out Charizard. Once he was out, he looked to the open area ahead. He looked at me, in a look of curiosity.  
"Ready to stretch your wings?" I said, "'Cause we've got an appointment at Pallet Town."  
"Pallet Town?" Charizard asked, "That's only a small glide away. Is this another mission?"  
I was surprised at a question like that. A Mission at Pallet Town, I guess it'd be understandable to send in few people to a place not too far away. Still I guess no one would have figured, anyways.  
"Oh, no, I've just been asked to meet with someone there. Off the job, you know?"  
Charizard understood. He turned in a southern direction, and I also sent Alakazam for one last thing. I then asked to see if I've been bugged, or if I've been marked with some tracer of sorts that has a mic. He told me I wasn't, and I then hopped on Charizard, put on the red biker's cap I snagged from my room, and we set off for Pallet town.

It was supposed to be business as usual in the Pokémon lab in Pallet Town, but today was different, because a strange virus had suddenly changed into something that could affect a human being. The bacteria were similar to that of Pokérus, the virus that sped up Pokémon's growth. But too many questions were surrounded about this new bacterium: what does it do to someone infected; how does it affect the host; most importantly, can it spread and how easily?  
"Um, Professor?" a voice said. "Professor Oak?"  
Professor Samuel Oak looked up from the microscope and found that his assistant, a young sketch artist named Tracy, was a tad bit shocked at something…  
"Tracy? What's wrong?" Oak asked.  
"It's the news…!" Tracy said, still pale in the face, "I never thought I'd see Team Rocket get away from two Gym Leaders, but that's the headline."  
"What?!" This news caught the professor's attention. He's known Gym leaders to be very strong Pokémon Battlers, and to find them defeated by a single trainer would be something. But for two of them to be defeated by Team Rocket was bad news.  
Rumor has it that a friend of his, a young man named Eric Claid, was supposedly involved with Team Rocket. When he admitted to joining them to get stronger, ever since his loss in the Indigo Plateau Pokémon League, it hurt. What's bothering Oak even more was, an E-mail was sent from an anonymous address, saying that a new virus has been discovered, and that someone from Team Rocket has learned to speak with Pokémon. Attachments were included with the E-mail, and while the research was puzzling, Eric Claid's profile was the subject said to be able to talk to Pokémon.  
"So this Eric Claid guy…" Tracy said, looking at the news article, "He looks a bit young to be leading a group in Team Rocket, isn't he?"  
Oak was silent for a moment taking in the fact that Eric has done things that he would most likely regret. "Yes, he is, isn't he?" he said, "He's almost a lot like Ash…"  
Tracy looked insulted. Ash Ketchum was a skilled Pokémon Battler indeed, making the top 16 in the Pokémon League championship. Unfortunately, Eric made the top 3 battlers, in 2nd place, which meant that Ash would have his work cut out for him if he were to face off against Claid.  
"The only similarity I find in them, is their being skilled battlers." Tracy protested, "Ash isn't like Claid! Ash wouldn't join Team Rocket!"  
"Even then," the prof. noted. "if what the rumors about him are true, he might be might not be as malicious as we think."

Charizard landed down on the open field nearby Oak's lab. I hopped down, and figured he probably would like some fresh air, so I let him stomp with me as I walked towards the front door. Charizard stopped to look around, and who wouldn't? It was a clear day in Pallet Town, and it was very peaceful except for the occasional chatter from Pokémon, which was ranging from funny conversations to occasional squabbles over something.  
"Y'know, I could enjoy living someplace like this." Charizard said, a bit of a dreamy look on his face. "It's so peaceful, and all natural."  
I smiled in agreement. "Well, if he's fine with it, I could let you and the others roam around the fields while Prof. Oak and I talk about important matters."  
"Alright." I could tell Charizard couldn't wait to get a look around and meet the Pokémon that Oak looks after. If you think about it, it would make sense… Why would you NOT want to go out and potentially make new friends? Unless you're antisocial, then it's not a big deal to meet now characters. (I would have said "people", but that wouldn't make much sense in Pokémon perspective, would it?)  
Once I made it to the front door, I did the first thing a normal person would do, which was to ring the doorbell. I pressed the button, and the traditional *DING-DONG* sounded faintly from where I was.  
"Coming!" called a voice from inside. The door opened slightly, and a guy with green hair looked through.  
I could tell he recognized me from the news because the minute he saw me, he went very pale and his eyes opened REAL wide. I _was_ gonna ask right away if Oak was there, but since spotting the look on his face, I figured it would help if he spoke first…  
"AHHH!!" the guy yelped, and he slammed the door at my face.  
I felt my eyes turn into lines and a throb of anger clench at my forehead. I pressed the doorbell.  
"W-w-w-what do you want, Claid?" the guy asked, apparently terrified.  
I heard laughing behind me, I looked back, and apparently Charizard found the fearful denial very funny.  
I looked straight at the door. "Professor Oak said he wanted to talk to me." I called, still trying to ease my irritation. "Don't worry, this is business of my own account, so no one from HQ is watching me."  
"Tracy, Let him in." an older voice said, "He's telling the truth, I invited him."  
The door opened and I walked inside. Green Hair, whom I assumed was Tracy, was shaking. I felt bad, for him and for myself. While I made a good name in that of Team Rocket, I seemed to have made myself a bit of a terror of sorts everywhere else. Oak was standing at the end of the hallway, and he hasn't changed a bit, since I last met him a few years ago before I took on the Indigo League. Unfortunately, when I found him looking at me, he looked concerned, meaning he only wanted to see me so he could get some answers from me, and it made me feel even worse.  
"Um, been awhile, professor." I said, a little hesitant.  
"Yes…" He said, "It has been awhile."  
I avoided eye contact… knowing I probably hurt him of all people, because I was part of Team Rocket. In fact while I've managed to hide it well, I've never felt so guilty in awhile. Taking sides with criminals with the hopes of getting stronger, for some time, felt disgusting. Fortunately for my sake, I was able to push that aside and think towards the subject at hand.  
I gulped, still nervous how this will play out. "So, umm, you said you wanted to talk about something… I guess it's about time we know what it is."  
"hmm." Oak nodded, "Well, Eric, I've actually had a visit from an odd stranger who wanted me to find something… he told me you can understand Pokémon, and that you have a strand of a virus similar to that of Pokérus." He looked at me sharp. "I know this will sound strange, even for me. But can I borrow a sample of… of your genetics…?"  
"Blood?" he was right, I DID find that weird, why would a POKÉMON professor want a sample of HUMAN blood?  
He nodded, and I went over to a small research table, and pricked my finger. I gave the sample to Oak, and I figured now would be the best time.  
"Hey Professor, you don't mind if my Pokémon have a look around the outside, right?" I asked, still nervous.  
"No, not at all." He said simply, "Perhaps I could see how they're doing once I'm finished with this.  
I turned towards the back door, and I found I was a little hazy.  
_Boy, This is far too odd. I never thought I had to actually study human DNA with this n—Wait. The same virus, in the boy's blood? How is this…?_  
I stopped; I didn't even exit the room. Was that Oak? Why did his voice seem to echo?  
"Hey, What's up?" I heard in front of me. I was out of my trance, and I found Tracy was looking at me curiously. I felt a little better he was able to feel less shaky near me.  
"Um, nothing. I'm just hearing random things." I decided to change the subject quickly. "Hey, just out of curiosity, what kind of Pokémon do you have?"  
"Well…" he said, leering "I guess my Pokémon are pretty tough, and stuff… though I'm curious about what you did during that battle."  
I hesitated on explaining, but when I did, I suddenly felt more comfortable around him. "It actually wasn't a series of Fire Blasts, but just bursts of fire shot out from the fireball managed by Psychic. Although the news _saw_ it as Fire Blast, which is justifiable judging from the size, it was something I called 'FireStorm'. "  
Tracy was actually pretty interested what I had to say, because I didn't expect him to find such an interesting way to handle fire. By the time I was done explaining how it worked, we were already outside, and I then released my Pokémon.  
"Alright, guys, Welcome to the Oak Laboratory in Pallet Town!" I announced, "I have gotten the OK from the prof. about letting you guys explore the various habitats, but please, be considerate if you plan to socialize, OK?"  
"Yay yay yay!" Marshtomp cheered  
"Finally, the chance to meet other trainers' Pokémon." Charizard said.  
Alakazam looked at Tracy. _Nice to meet you._ He said telepathically.  
Tracy seemed to flinch with surprise. "N-nice to meet you too." He said awkwardly.  
"So, what kind of Pokémon do you have?" Blaziken asked, looking at me in the gesture to translate.  
"Blaziken wants to know what kind of Pokémon you have." I told Tracy, who evidently chose then to release a couple of his Pokémon.  
One of the Pokémon was kinda like a small blue ball with ears. It had a zigzagging tail with a bit of a smaller ball at the end. Just looking at it screamed "cute and cuddly," and the Pokémon was known as Marill. The second Pokémon was bipedal, which was surprising for a bug type Pokémon, a light green coloring, this one had blades where the arms and hands (or claws) would be. Behind, was where the abdomen was located; the look on its face appeared to be fierce, ready to attack at an instant's notice; I recalled that Pokémon as Scyther.  
Tracy introduced his Pokémon to me out of courtesy, and I just said my Pokémon's names because something formal… would take too long.  
"Hiya." Marill said cheerfully.  
Scyther just nodded towards me, apparently figuring that humans can't understand Pokémon.  
"Hmm…" I observed, "not very talkative, are ya?" Scyther just rolled its eyes.  
"Nah, he doesn't really think there's a point." Marill said, with the tone that displayed "MOTORMOUTH" overhead in my mind. "Scyther can't do sign language, like some other Pokémon, he usually prefers to speak when he knows he can lead some understanding to Tracy and the professor. Sometimes I wish I could talk to Tracy though, because he always gives me food that's either too sweet or too salty. I usually like my foods with a good enough balance because while I can eat it up happily, I would have to snack on something else, just to satisfy my little taste need. Also….." As Marill was talking, it was rolling all over the place, oblivious to what it bumped into. "Scyther also kept muttering how his taste wasn't exactly sour or spicy enough. Perhaps Tracy aughta make a similar balance with sour and spicy."  
Suddenly, Scyther bonked Marill on the head with the flat of its blade. "Marill, you DO realize you're talking pointlessly to a HUMAN; and second, I said the food was not spicy enough, and perhaps a little too sour. Though unlike you, I can put up with what I'm given. Now seriously, give it—"  
Tracy stepped in between them, and Scyther was grumbling about how Marill talked too much, and that he was irritating the guest.  
Marshtomp managed to climb up on my shoulders. "Wow, I never thought they would argue about food taste." He commented, "That Marill character loves to talk, though. It's funny when someone tries to shut him up, with little luck."  
I guess I had to admit, he's right, it IS kinda funny that someone fails to quiet a motor mouth. "No kidding, huh?" I said, and we both laughed for a moment. I then looked at Tracy, who was looking at me funny (yes, ANOTHER person looking at me like that).  
I decided to translate to him in the cliff notes version.  
"Marill says that it wishes you guys could understand Pokémon talk," I explained, "because on regards to food, it winds up getting something either too sweet or too salty, and wants a balance between the two tastes. Scyther got on Marill's case for a mistake in remembering Scyther's taste, which is preferably more on spicy than sour." I then thought about it for a moment, then it hit me. "Wait a minute, you make the Pokémon's food?"  
"Uhhh." Oops, too much to take in for him. He paused for a few seconds. "Yeah, I make the Pokémon's food, though I never knew they wanted a different taste." Something occurred to _him_. "Hold on… you actually knew what they said!?"  
There was a silent pause, then Marshtomp suddenly started to laugh. When I looked over at Marill and Scyther and found why. Marill went quiet, and was staring at me in curiosity (or wonder, hard to tell with that little cute face). Scyther looked bewildered, grey eyes very wide, the kind of look that would be someone saying "What the hell!?"  
"You…actually understand what I'm saying?" Scyther said, still with that look on his face.  
"Yeah." I said simply.  
"I've heard word that there was a human who could understand Pokémon." Scyther stated, "I already figured that Tracy and the Prof. aren't the ones… I didn't expect you'd be that person, though."  
I shrugged and rolled my eyes, "No one expects a human kid to have big things. But somehow I've been given this little 'ability', and rumor about me is spreading like wildfire."  
Tracy was confused at what was going on, and I've explained to him that since my ability to understand Pokémon was known, quite a lot of Pokémon have been hearing about it. It was almost as if they had a Pokémon news network, and I became headline news (sound absurd? Hey, it might actually explain this ability somehow being known to so many).  
"Psst." Marshtomp hissed at me, in the gesture of grabbing my attention. "Blaziken's been wondering about having a sparring match with you to pass the time."  
I then realized, everyone was still here. I then let everyone go explore… even though only Charizard and Marshtomp actually left. Alakazam decided to hang around and referee the upcoming martial arts match between Blaziken and I. Then I found the Professor walking towards us.  
"Tracy, you gonna tell him?" Scyther, who stuck around, elected to ask.  
Tracy looked at me and I relayed the message, he nodded quickly. But when the Professor approached, we didn't say anything because we found a look on his face that said "Something's wrong." Now I started to wonder now: is there going to be ANYTHING that's actually going to be casual in a couple of days, because this serious attitude every day is starting to get on my nerves…


	15. Chapter 14: Resemblence

Chapter 14: Resemblance

"Professor," I said, "what'd the results say?"  
Oak hesitated, and he seemed to have been upset with having to tell me. "Tracy, Could you excuse us?"  
"Sure," Tracy said nodding, "C'mon Scyther." But Scyther didn't move. He just shook his head, then looked back at the professor.  
"Scyther?" Oak was curious about Scyther's behavior. I then looked at Scyther in the eye, and I figured it out, nodding. Tracy _still_ left, and Marril and Marshtomp went with him. Charizard flew off, so Blaziken and Alakazam were the only ones remaining with us.  
"Professor," he said, "There's so many things I hope to find out about this guy, and I think what you have to say might have something to do with it." I translated what he said, word for word, afterwards, and Oak figured it was OK. I found Tracy enthralled in a sketchbook, and found he must have been sketching what's going on… for the sake of remembering what happened.  
"You're familiar with Pokérus, since you were told to take a series of Pokeballs infected with them, Correct?"  
I smiled, thinking about that lone straggler that I left in the truck during that mission. I wondered if anyone found it.  
"Yeah," I responded, regaining my poker face.  
"Well, I was told there was a new virus similar to Pokérus, except that it's something that affects humans."  
_A Virus that affects humans, similar to Pokérus…_ I thought, _Now I finally find out what it does, and more importantly, if I actually have it._  
"According to what I already found, it seems this virus has an extraordinary growth effect on the human body, and it seems to resemble that of Pokémon abilities… But it seems to have some side effects that are potentially life threatening… And it seems to only be spread one way, through a Pokémon recently infected with Pokérus in the wild."  
_Recently infected Pokémon in the wild?_ I thought, confused for a minute, _how would he know—oh wait, he's only finishing someone's research, in finding out what it does… hmm… I'll bet that this might affect his reputation a bit if this went public from him first._  
"What are the side effects; did you manage to find them?"  
Oak nodded. "According to it's code, it seems to cause critical fever-like symptoms for a day. It can sometimes cause the host to be irritable for a time, about a month's time by my best estimate."  
I thought it over, because if I WAS a superhuman, I'd be more acute in just about everything, I'd be able to lift things I couldn't usually, and I'd be incredibly flexible. But the side effect is that I would end up in a critical condition for a day… and for about a month, if I lived through the one day of critical condition, I would be in a bit of a bad mood.  
"Professor, I got one more question." I said, letting him nod for me to continue. "I was talking to this Machop one time back at HQ, he told me that those of Pokérus infection give off some scent that only Pokémon can sniff. Does the coding have some kind of scent giving… uhhhh, whachamacallit" (wha cha ma call it, first time I ever used that word).  
Scyther snickered, I assumed it was from the confusion of finding a scientific word.  
Oak nodded, I then took the fact that he's already spoken too much on regards of a topic that is just not part of his usual profession. I guess Tracy found now to be appropriate to give my Pokémon a check up, since I found him with a tape measure, and measuring Blaziken's muscle width and height.  
"Wow Eric," Tracy commented, "Your Pokémon are pretty healthy. What kind of a diet do you give them?"  
Blaziken and I looked at each other, then back at Tracy.  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
Oak raised an eyebrow, as if to say "Try me."  
"Believe it or not, they eat whatever I eat, and not in that little table scraps portion. No, they get exactly what I eat. I make a steak, I make one for everyone. And I try my best to maintain a good diet."  
Oak raised both his eyebrow, with a sign of interest. "No wonder your Pokémon look so healthy. So they don't eat any of the Pokémon food?"  
_This aughta be a kicker_ I thought as I said "Actually, generic Pokémon food to most others, is actually considered a snack to my partners."

Just as I was gonna get another question, I heard someone calling "Professor, Professor!"  
I looked around, and I found a Bulbasaur (looks like SOME kind of weird looking lizard with a bulb of a flower on its back) hustling it towards us. It seemed to be pretty panicked.  
"Professor! Team Rocket's at it again!" Bulbasaur cried, "They're being held up by Muk, but they're gonna get away!" It was pointing towards the woods all the time he was shouting.  
I crouched over and met Bulbasaur eye to eye. "Bulbasaur, would you happen to know any important features that can help me find who they are?"  
"Umm." Bulbasaur hesitated, then he spotted Alakazam. "They're that same pair that come every time. One is a guy with weird blue hair, and the other is a lady with yellow hair."  
I found myself with a potentially amusing irritated face, eyes and mouth were all a straight line, and I was starting to twitch…  
"Those two…." I muttered.  
"You know them?" Bulbasaur inquired.  
To it's surprise, I stood up and said "Yeah, I know them, and the rest of Team Rocket find them as absolute jokes, second to Jessie and James in the losers department."  
I looked at everyone else who were gazing expectantly.  
"Stay here, my partners and I got this covered." I told them, and we followed Bulbasaur, who was running towards the woods.  
"Hey, you seemed to be able to understand me, are they true?" Bulbasaur asked.  
I started to get irritated with hearing that question. "Yes, they are, now how far are we?"  
We stopped near a think brush, and I instinctively crouched down and hid…  
"What's dat Claid kid doin with the old professor?" the blue haired man, named "Butch" (people mistake his name loads of times, so think butcher without the "er") was saying.  
"I'm not sure, but we gotta radio this to the Boss." Ms. Yellow hair, Cassidy, replied. "That little grunt kid shouldn't be out from base unsupervised." After saying so, they pulled out a small laptop which was meant for video calls only. The numbers for a telephone on the right (nice and big so that it's convenient not to make a mistake dialing a number), while there were arrow keys on the left, supposedly meant for navigating a contacts list.  
They began dialing the number, slowly so that they don't make a mistake (sad, isn't it), and then I decided to be known then.  
"Hold it!" I declared. "What in THE world are YOU two doing here!?  
Both of them jumped and whirled around. I found them just hitting the button to begin calling. And I glared at them as the call was going through.  
They stood up, as if imposing their height at me… I briefly looked down and saw that the call was answered by the Boss himself, but I could tell he kept quiet to watch… So, I guess it's not ALWAYS professional with the boss.  
"Grunts Cassidy and Butch." I said, acting professional, "Would you care to explain what you happen to be doing away from base? I don't recall seeing you two as freelancers."  
"Tch, an' what's a kid like you gonna do about it?" Butch said, plenty smug," You're still a grunt like us, and you can't win a—"  
I cut in, "fistfight?" Now, I was gonna be foul, "you must have been out of the loop, _bitch_, because one, I was promoted recently; two, I know martial arts; and three…" I tried not to laugh, but my big grin probably was enough. "And three, the Boss was listening to every word that was said just now…"  
The two idiots made another one-eighty towards the video phone laptop, and I swear they literally went white. Sweat was running down the backs of their heads, the skin on them was ghostly pale. DAMN I wish I had my camera, this was beyond priceless. In fact, it was SO priceless that I was starting to twitch JUST to prevent from laughing. Giovanni promptly explained that I was promoted for the uprooting mission in Celadon, especially when something about it went seriously wrong.  
"Since you insulted an administrator openly, I decide it be appropriate for him to show some discipline to you two." Giovanni said, "Good day." The computer went blank, indicating he ended the call. Blaziken and Alakazam, who were hidden with Bulbasaur, decided to make themselves known…  
Despite them being dull witted, they know full well about me in a Pokémon battle, and they began booking it the opposite direction.

Without needing my say-so, Blaziken gave chase after them. Alakazam looked like he was trying to figure something out. But when Blaziken stepped a few feet away, Alakazam teleported out of nowhere and Warped Blaziken backwards before something purple shot up in a vertical line, walled around us. Cassidy and Butch suddenly stopped, and they began walking back at us. It was when they came close that I found that they were under hypnosis. The cause for this was the Pokémon Drowzee walking in between. Though when I looked at it up close, I found it to be very different than your average Drowzee, and it definitely wasn't what collectors called a "Shiner," or a differently colored Pokémon that give off a small sparkle as they are released from their Pokéball. Drowzee's original color was a mustard yellow, the bottom part was brown, as if it sat in some mud bath, and never got rid of the brown. _This_ Drowzee had more of a purple top with a dark blood red for the brown. What's more, is that its eyes were a bright red and I get this feeling that it's giving me this evil smile. In fact, I looked at it straight in the eye, and I found something murderous about it… it was as if I had a tombstone with my name on it.  
Blaziken and Alakazam stood still. I heard footsteps slow down, I looked behind me, and I found Tracy and the  
Professor running, except they were frozen in midstep. Everything then felt like it was one big videotape, and the viewer pressed the pause button on everything but the Drowzee and I.  
"Hello Eric Claid…" Drowzee said.  
"Who are you, and how the hell do you know me?"  
Drowzee poked its head, indicating thought, and when I heard the footsteps resume, everything else was moving, but it was me and Drowzee that stood paused. I heard beating on something, and Tracy trying to grab my attention. Alakazam and Blaziken tried to speak to me, but they felt distant. Drowzee started to snicker, and everyone suddenly went quiet.  
"I've been wondering how a kid like you has so much power from that birdbrain." Drowzee said vocally, Tracy and Oak were dumbfounded when I looked back briefly.  
"It can talk!?" Tracy said, from what I can make out, since the voice was muffled.  
"Yes, Boy, I can talk human." Drowzee said arrogantly, "But to Eric Claid, he won't be able to tell he difference, won't he?"  
I remained silent. OK, so this strange Pokémon knew as well… but I still had no idea what it was talking about.  
"I've been waiting for centuries to find a host to copy, and I had high expectations for that host because I would copy everything they had." Drowzee said, "I could take over, I could improve, and I could be a whole lot different with whatever you are."  
I had a bad feeling something was gonna happen, and I stepped back because of it. "What is that supposed to mean, what about me?"  
The red color turned into a brown, the weird colors from the Drowzee lifted, and above its head… was some black… thing.  
I took another step back, starting to lose my sense of bravery, I clenched my teeth and found my eyes wide to prevent me from running. The shadowy coloring was draining from Drowzee, and once the… Whatever it was… was completely out of the Pokémon, the Drowzee collapsed. Cassidy and Butch were back to their normal selves, and they too were staring at the black glob. I heard two footsteps behind me, and I figured Tracy and the professor stepped back like I did.  
The black glob flashed purple a couple of times, Blaziken and Alakazam were fearfully frozen in place. I started backing away, and I was scared witless. Too many thoughts ran through my head, and I felt like I was going crazy.  
_Wha—what is this thing!?_ I thought panicked, briefly looking at the Drowzee laying facedown on the ground, _What's gonna happen to me?_  
Then it moved, faster than I could see it, and it hit me. I felt a cold wave slither through me, in my chest, down my spine, even through my beating heart, everywhere felt frozen cold for a second. Then everything went black, I was cold and blind. Then I couldn't feel the ground. Though I felt like I was thrashing. Shit, I felt like I was going to…  
_HEY!!_ I didn't have anything else to say as I tried to remain conscious. I felt like I was trying to beat something away, and I was losing. _What are you doing to me!? HEY!! What the hell are you doing to me?!_  
I was losing it, and now I started to hear something in my head, something eerily familiar.  
_Hehehehehe, now your very being. Shall no longer be unique to you…_ it said…with a VERY familiar voice! _…in a way, you can think of me, from here on, as your dark side…_ it started to laugh… it was laughing as if it gone mad. I felt like I was in a cold dark room, unable to truly move, unable to--- no, no….. I won't--…  
I was cold, I was afraid, and I was confused… I suddenly thought of Shadow Pokémon, I dunno why, perhaps it's the dark. Shadow Pokémon were pokémon who were sealed off of sentimental emotions, by artificial means, to become obedient fighting machines. Ever since the two Shadow Incidents in the Orre Region, Shadow Pokémon have been seen as illegal.  
Wait a minute, "Shadow Pokémon"… no…. Not me. Not ME!

*BZZZZRRRZRZZRZZZRZ*

_"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"_

Suddenly everything became orange bright. I felt my chest feel fiery. I looked down, and I found my pendant flaring bright. The cold was stripped away from me, I could feel, I could see.  
I felt alive again… and my heart was beating at super speed. I felt different; I felt like I was on fire, only it was like this fire felt like a weapon… I felt like I could do anything.  
I felt my feet touch the ground, I stepped backwards to maintain balance. My vision cleared, and I actually found my vision to be a lot sharper. I found Cassidy and Butch looking at me in awe, I found that Butch was sweating in the upper eyebrow, then under his eye just right of his nose, and….. eww, I found yellow crust on his teeth. It wasn't very much, the rest of it was white… but he needs to floss more.  
I felt a movement behind me, I whirled around and found a punch being thrown at me. I blocked it with my right wrist, and found that my clenched fist was reddened at the joint between hand and wrist. A left hook swung, blocked it with back of right hand, it moved around, stopped with left hand, palm faced my face, glowed. "Hah!" a voice shouted, I grabbed the opposing wrist, turned, and threw the owner of the hand and wrist forward. Cassidy and Butch jumped away impulsively as the body slammed into a tree, knocking a few apples off. The body was black, perhaps shadowy, I couldn't make out the face, even with this enhanced vision, it was as if it wasn't even there. Suddenly, emerald colored eyes that look like mine became visible, until they became colored red. I clenched my fists, and I felt my very knuckles become a lethal weapon.  
The enemy suddenly went from upside down, to standing on it's….. "his"…. Feet.  
"heh hehehehehe, Good form, good display of stamina, and a good, strong mind." He said, "I can't wait to see what other power you can show me in the future…" he laughed as he faded into thin air.  
I stepped forward in some impulse to chase, but stopped short at what he said.  
"other… power?" I quoted, in puzzlement.  
I looked around, I guess Cassidy and Butch have run off; but looking behind me, Blaziken, Alakazam, Bulbasaur, and Professor Oak were looking at me; Tracy was scribbling in his sketchbook, and the area was quiet for a good sixty seconds.  
"Eric!" I heard someone call from a distance, I looked up to the left towards the sound. It was Charizard coming to the ground, with Marshtomp on top.  
"Team Rocket was at it again?" Charizard said, "well lemme at—Whoa. What happened to your hair?"  
I patted my head, and on the front, it wasn't any different: sloppy, and fuzzy except for a pair of points, like hair gelled into something solid, in a thin "V". When I patted towards the back, it felt smoother, as if it was gelled into place. I slid my hand down the hairline and stopped at a small…spiked area. I felt around that spiked area to find my hair split into two blades of sorts.  
Then it occurred to me… that my hair was exactly like Blaziken's head (all but the face, of course).  
I then found my eyes falling towards that sketchbook Tracy was drawing on. Alakazam caught my attention, and I then agree to "Swap view" with him. We locked eyes, and after a sudden rush, I was then looking at myself through Alakazam's eyes. I saw my jaw drop, into a look that says "Wow, this is TOO COOL!!" I started from the top down. My ordinarily silver black hair was turned a fiery orange, and just as I felt, the back of it looked like Blaziken's… and I found the V-shaped front (usually over Blaziken's eyes) on the front of my somewhat messy hair. My eyes were still their emerald green color. I found that my fists were slightly reddened, and they didn't look like something… I dunno, melted I guess.  
_Eric, Clench your fists as if you were to throw a punch._ Alakazam told me, when Tracy and Oak looked down at my hands, which told me it was openly spoken. I clenched them as instructed, and as I squeezed a little stiffer, I found my hands glowing orange. I found myself squeezing tight enough for a human hand to start hurting. Though for some reason, it didn't feel like I was clenching that hard. My hand erupted in flames. I found myself wide-eyed as I found I couldn't move my hands due to a psychic resistance, I tried to move them.  
_Eric, Relax, it's not hurting you._ Alakazam tried to reassure me, I didn't listen; because… well, shit, because my HANDS WERE ON FIRE!!  
Blaziken clenched his fists, and his wrists burst into fire. He then put the flaming wrists in between us, and the fire disappeared with his arm unscathed.  
"Eric, it's only for protection. Unclench your fists, and the fire should go away." He instructed me. I did what I was told, and like he said, it disappeared.  
My view returned to my own eyes. I looked again at Tracy's Sketchbook, then I decided.  
"Hey Tracy, can I see what you drew?" I asked him, he nodded as he handed me the sketch book. It was a headshot of me with my new look. Of course, being a sketchbook, everything was done in pencil drawings… though the shadowing was so full of depth, I was impressed.  
"Wow." I couldn't say much about it, I was clearly impressed with such quality in the picture, I even dragged out the word to emphasize it. "Is it okay with you if I could have a copy of this as a souvenir?"  
"Sure thing," Tracy said proudly, and we all elected to return to the laboratory. Oak and I were walking somewhat casually towards the lab. When Oak was muttering things to himself about what happened, I still found myself thinking about what that dark being said before he left.

_"Good form, good display of stamina, and a good, strong mind….. I can't wait to see what other power you can show me in the future…"_

I looked down at the healthy green grass as I thought over what he said. _He said he couldn't wait to see what "other power" I could show him in the future… but, what does he mean by "Other Power"? Does it mean that I have other unusual abilities deep down that I haven't experienced yet? If that's the case, how will they be shown; what might cause it to reveal itself?_

Too many questions were swimming through my head, especially when that dark being looked a LOT like my shadow. I told the professor that letting the public know about what happened is up to him, but whatever he does mention me as "Pheonix" and not by my real name. He nodded, and I figured he would easily understand why, knowing my current reputation.  
"Personally, I wouldn't find any real need to want to show this to the public." He said, "But if people ask about it, then I don't think it's wise to explain."  
"Okay." Well, goes to show the prof. is just like any other scientist. You must have substantial evidence of your alleged discovery before it is confirmed as official. I actually admired Oak for that reason, because while he's considered genius in his field of Pokémon research (along with creating the Pokédex), he's never arrogant or the kind of person to take so much pride in his achievements. I sometimes try to be that kind of a person, but as it turns out, I have a competitive streak about me, and I strive to win without really considering losing… not for an instant.  
"Eric," Tracy said, handing me the copy of the sketch that I requested. I thanked him, and then he asked me if I could help him out with something.  
"A lot of the Pokemon have been giving me a bit of a tough time when I give them lunch." He explained. "When they eat, it's with a bit of unwillingness. I get the feeling it's the flavoring of the food. Could you help me find out what's wrong?"  
I thought it over, and I figured… _I think this kind of help might help calm everything down… I've probably figured that they've had enough stress for one day._ Making up my mind, I agreed to help him out with his problem. After all, it's definitely not a good thing to worry all the time… right?


	16. Chapter 15: Making an Appointment

Chapter 15: Making an Appointment

"The Pokémon flavor "Boosters" that person gives me is a bit dry, I like my food more on the bitter side."

"The human had the sour flavor right… but it would be good if the taste was… stronger, perhaps."

"I hate this hot stuff! I want sweeeeets!!"

"This bitter stuff makes me feel sick, I would like something else, something plain or dry or something…"

Tracy and I were hard at work for today in getting all the Pokemon's taste preferences. An hour or so later, I decided to make Poffins for all of them. Unfortunately, I had to ask for Blaziken, Alakazam, and Marshtom's help in making them all. Of course, I was careful in choosing a flavor I know they didn't like so that they would bake them without worrying if they dipped their fingers inside (funny part was, was that they understood my reasons). Tracy was cooking up his flavor and nutrition enhancements to the Pokémon food and as a result, all the Pokémon were a whole lot happier and ate their food more willingly. Someone else decided to visit while I was cooking spicy, dry, and sweet poffins in the kitchen; and it turned out to be Mrs. Ketchum, Ash Ketchum's mother. Walking along with her was a Mr. Mime, somewhat of a clown-like Pokémon. From what I know, Mr. Mimes are known for using their Light Screen and Reflect moves to create walls that would get in people's way.

"Hey, Professor Oak," Mrs. Ketchum said, "I just wanted to see how you were doing today. Mimey also wanted to visit pretty eagerly for some reason, dunno what's caught his interest."

I noticed the Mr. Mime definitely looking around for something…

"Oh, I know he is around here somewhere…" he was saying, "Bulbasaur was tellin' me about him over the…oh, what was it?" he stopped and looked upwards, thinking. Then he remembered apparently, "oh yeah, I heard through the 'Grapevine.'"

I realized I must have stopped stirring the batter because I wound up hearing a sizzling sound. I jumped and looked down at the batter. Unfortunately, the Sweet flavored poffins were starting to burn… and the batter was getting thick.

"Ack!" I yelped, trying to get back into tempo of the stirring. "shoot shoot, shoot, baaaaahhhhhh."

"You need some help?" I looked up from the batter, and I found Mrs. Ketchum looking at me. To my utter dismay, she was giving me a smile, which made me a bit nervous to actually say "Yes". Still, I made the effort to say "Yeah, yes please" with a bit of a nervous laugh to it, because I wasn't usually one to suddenly ask for help of someone who just came in.

She got to work with the dry flavored batter, and I took care of the spicy and sweet flavored (I calmed down once I was able to get the Sweet flavored poffin batter kept up with the spicy). Mr. Mime came in and wanted to watch me make the poffins (also tried to sneak a lick of the sweet poffin batter, I caught 'em, and slapped the hand that trespassed), and only a few minutes later, the poffins were ready to be served. Almost one hundred and twenty poffins: twenty four of each flavor(dry, sweet, bitter, sour and spicy). Once lunch was served to all the Pokémon, the Poffins were then distributed to each of the Pokémon for dessert. Afterwards, I was surprised that there were some poffins that were left over others. The sweet, dry, and sour Poffins were polished off; there were a few spicy, and there were a lot of bitter flavors left. In the lab, I got better aquainted with Mrs. Ketchum, and I guess I got a bit more insight about her son, Ash.

"So Mimey has been with you since then?" I asked, after she told me the story of how she met the Mr. Mime running away from a traveling circus.

"Yes, he's a great friend to keep me company while Ash is journeying." She said.

Blaziken was out in the field, training with Alakazam when I took a casual stroll. I started gazing at Blaziken's head. My hair was back to normal while I was helping Tracy, and I started to wonder what it meant. Amazingly enough, I still retained those sharpened eyes, so everything looked crystal sharp. I also found that I had stronger hearing. But I had enough control over that to either focus on something or tune it out completely; I also felt a little more muscular, even though a brief look in the mirror showed no such thing. For some oddball reason, however, I find that my breath is a bit extra heated, almost like I ate spicy food for years.

I talked to the Professor, and I managed to get a small computer chip, which he explained was the upgrade for the National Pokédex, a Pokedex that was able to recognize every Pokémon around the world.

I looked at the small chip. I hadn't ever used my Pokedex in years since joining Team Rocket. In fact, since gaining the Strategy memo application for my PDA, I haven't felt the need to use it… then an idea came acrossed me.

"Professor," I pulled out my PDA and turned it to the Strategy Memo app. "is it possible to install Pokedex data into something like this?" I looked at the chip, and it looked easy to fit into the PDA, all I'd need is some way to download whatever data was in my Pokedex into a computer chip.

All he did was raise an eyebrow and stare at the chip, and then at my PDA. "Hmm, I don't have anything like that…" I shrugged it off, since it wasn't much of a big deal. I was also talking with Mr Mime, who was told by Bulbasaur of "me," though I regretted confirming it later because he wouldn't shut up afterwards… just like Tracy's Marill. Well, actually, Syther was there to shut him up… I don't think I have that luxury

"…so I joined up with Mrs. Ketchum, and I worked together with the other Mr. Mime to take out that… uhh, what was their name?" he was referring Jessie and James, the ones everyone ELSE called Team Rocket, because he mentioned them earlier. He quickly remembered, and by then, I was starting to fall asleep. What's worse, Mrs. Ketchum then became the next subject to yammer on.

"Mrs. Ketchum is a really nice lady. I mean, I feel SOOO thankful to be with her, because she's the kind of lady that anyone would want to stay with, y'know? Oh, and her son Ash is such an amazing trainer."

I suddenly noticed the pause in an expectant response. "Huh? Oh, Yeah, yes he is" I said, making an effort to mask my drowsiness from listening.

Mr. Mime just kept on talking after that. "Well, I told you he was an amazing Pokémon Battler, and his Pikachu was POWERFUL. I mean, with a Thunder that's powerful enough to cause a massive explosion, and Bulbasaur told me he had a Charizard for a friend, but he now stays at that valley… I forget what it was called…"

I perked up my head, now he was getting somewhere. While the name's spelling frequently escapes me, I think it was called the "Charific Valley." Basically, The Valley was run by someone who wanted to take care of Charizards, for what reason, I have yet to find out. From what My charizard told me, the valley's community was one in demand of tough guys. If a newcomer was able to defeat a member of the commute, then that newcomer is welcomed as a member, though takes some time to have gotten used to. Also, as they are aware of Pokémon Trainers, if they want to be welcomed, the charizard has to fight an opponent on it's own. In a sense, it puts "survival of the fittest" to it's absolute finest, so if Ash has a Charizard that is part of the group, you'll KNOW it's tough.

Mr Mime started going on about Ash's Pokémon, and I then felt drowsy again, because all of what he was telling me was stuff I ALREADY KNOW, thanks to a hacker friend of mine who hacked for Ash's Profile one time.

Mrs. Ketchum finally noticed Mr. Mime motoring to me. Judging from the look on her face, I could just tell (even through the haze of drowsiness) that it felt awkward. Tracy wound up explaining to the confused lady about what I could do around Pokémon, and the next look she gave me was that of intrigued curiousity.

"So I guess Mrs. Ketchum prolly has a couple issues to sort out, though. I mean, everytime Ash goes off on another adventure, he always falls over when he is 'reminded' to change his underwear every day. I can't seem to understand how that kind of statement would be worth falling over about…" Mr. Mime just WON'T SHUT UP!! I'm also waiting for a break in sentence… for him to take his breath, to finally close the conversation, but JEEZ. [i]Where[/i] does he [i]breathe[/i]!? I did snort at the part where Ash would fall over having being reminded to change his skivvies daily, though, typical mother things can be entertaining.

Long winded motormouths aren't… they're a pain in the neck.

I've figured I'd take a nap, but I noticed a Tododile watching Mr. Mime drawl on, and I noticed he (by the looks of it) was trying to hide a laugh.

_Yeah, go ahead, laugh at the only one human that can understand Mr. Mime's life with Mrs. Ketchum; the only human listening to whatever "interesting" things that you've never heard about the famous Ash Ketchum._

"Hey, you OK, Eric?" I heard Tracy say. I guess I really did must have zoned out for a bit longer than I thought, though it wasn't over from Mr. Mime, because he STILL won't…._shut…up_…!!

Alakazam, apparently ignoring Mr. Mime, levitated in front of me, and tried not to laugh. Instead, he made a simple smile and read my mind.

_Tracy, if you were in Eric's place, you would be wanting to leave now. From the minute Eric met him, and for a straight hour and a half, Mr Mime has been talking nonstop._

I then noticed Mr. Mime's face turning pink… he stopped and took a deep breath. I was on full alert now. FINALLY, a break in speech!

"NOOOOO!!!" I shouted so that the entire house could hear. A couple of thudding sounds at the window told me that Tododile and a couple other Pokémon were at the peak of comedy central.

I stopped Mr. Mime, who apparently was curious on why I stopped him from speaking further. In fact, I almost felt tempted to break my linguistic code and shriek "SHUT THE—" _EFF_ "—UP!!!"

But, I was pretty damned close, and instead I said, "Please… I heard enough, and I might have to get going soon." I looked behind me to find Tododile trying to look through the window. Apparently, though, his laughing so hard made it tough for him to keep it's eyes open for very long.

*BEEBEEP, BEEBEEP, BEEBEEP*

My PDA was going off, and that tone said that I have mail. I opened my Inbox, and found an E-mail from "DOC". Given a little thought, I then realized that the doctor I went to during my fever must have some results for me (Results that took _weeks_ to get done)… even though they're results I already got from Oak. I skimmed through it.

**Eric,**

**I took multiple tests on your DNA Sample, and I looked through the references. Please come to the medlab ASAP, because we need to talk.**

**Doc**

I got up from the kitchen chair, and managed to clean up what leftover poffin batter was still on the pots, and I found that everyone else returned to their own business. The Bitter flavored batter was gone, despite there being so many poffins left; The sweet flavored batter was the toughest to clean since it gets sticky when it dries, and the spicy had to be done quickly, since the aroma is enough to make your eyes water. I finished cleaning the pots and put them away in a few minutes. Afterward, I exit the kitchen, finally, and decided to round everyone up before returning to HQ.

I found Alakazam talking to Mrs. Ketchum in the living room, and judging from suddenly just hearing my psychic partner's voice in my brain, the telepathy range wasn't meant to be very far.

_So, from then on, Eric and the rest of us were able to form a closer partnership, because we now have a way of communicating. I still can't seem to figure out what it was that allowed him to understand vocal speech from Pokémon, but who knows…_

Mrs. Ketchum found me standing around, apparently listening in, Alakazam glanced to find me overhearing to him tell her about me. I shook my head, saying "I don't mind" and then I looked at Alakazam.

"Alakazam, We're gonna be going soon, can you round up everyone, and tell them to meet me at the lab's entrance?" I said. He nodded, and teleported from sight, leaving me only with Mrs. Ketchum.

"You're in Team Rocket, aren't you?" Mrs. Ketchum said. "Your Pokémon said things about your club, but when I asked what it was, he kept quiet."

I raised an eyebrow. "Team Rocket?" I said, in an attempt to hide my surprise of her suspicion. "Aren't they that criminal organization? That doesn't sound like a club anyone would want to go to…right?"

I felt like I blew it, because then she got mad at me. "I knew it! I knew I recognized you!" she said, voice raised. "I saw you on the news before I came here, I wanted to talk about that." I flinched; I really didn't expect this, especially since she wasn't here for longer than two hours. I remained silent as a result; but I regained my posture, I just simply walked past. When I was walking towards the hallway that led to the fields, I stopped at the door so I can leave one last note.

"Don't expect any trouble from the pair of rockets that were harassing the Professor." I said, "As a friend of the Professor and an administrator of Team Rocket, I guarantee that Pallet Town won't be harassed without my knowing it. And…" I looked Mrs. Ketchum square in the eye, "if I find out that Ash is still being harassed, I'll see to that as well."

Mrs. Ketchum was caught off guard with that last statement, probably because her very son was on the topic. She looked hurt when I glanced back, and I struggled to maintain a stable poker face. I turned away and made my exit.

Everyone was standing grouped up. I recalled everyone but Charizard. Tracy was running back towards me, and then a large group of Pokémon were following behind him. Among the group were Scyther, Marill, and Sceptile.

"'Ey, What was that breaded stuff you gave us?" Sceptile asked, "Good stuff, but what's it called?"

I smiled at how the treats I made were a success. "They're called Pokémon Muffins, or Poffins for short. I could probably E-mail the recipe to the Professor's inbox for the batter, but the flavoring is based on mixing a Berry of a specific flavor." Tracy nodded as I explained to indicate that he understood. Oak was walking towards Charizard and me, and looked up and down towards Charizard, sizing him up.

Then it hit me, I forgot about that checkup! Thankfully, Tracy was able to examine Charizard well enough to determine that he was exceptionally healthy (naturally, Charizard smiled with pride). I wound up releasing everyone for the checkup… and it was obvious that Blaziken found the recall, then brief release, a tad bit irritating. Using a tape measure, a pair of binoculars (those high tech ones that can measure from a distance, which was apparent for Marshtomp, who hated checkups like a child would), Tracy concluded that my Pokémon were very healthy, well raised, and proven that I've trained them with expertise.

Afterwards, I recalled everyone; after seeing Blaziken cross his arms, Alakazam roll his eyes, and Marshtomp dropping on his bottom. I then hopped on Charizard's shoulders and he took flight, en route back to Viridian Rocket HQ.

***

The boy was stronger than expected, which the Dark One found to be a good thing. It only took what the humans counted as five minutes, and finally he's become an exact duplicate of the boy, except with the more shadowed skin, and red eyes. The human was stronger, faster, and more agile than the humans that the Dark One has possessed before, along with that unique display of power with his Pokémon has made this Eric Claid a lucky phenomenon to run into.

"Yessss… this kid's gonna be all the power I need…" The Dark One said, relishing the silvery blackish form of his new copied body, skin that wasn't covered by the pitch-black garments the humans called "clothes". Now he needed an suitable nickname to go by, he looked at the color of his skin, "Silvery Black"… then he came up with a name for himself, "Darkness Silvershade" or "DarkSilver" for short.

DarkSilver got to his feet and stared out from the cave he hid in. The Pokémon Ursaring should be returning from its hunt. Now was as good a time as any to go out and see the world.

***

The Docter was predictably calm when I came in. When I reminded the dude that he wanted to talk about something with me, he changed from calm to… perhaps a bit of amazed and excited.

"Your DNA shows that you seemed to have gone through like a growth spurt from hell, only it's not on your height, but everything else!" He said. "I mean, there seems to be some unusual kind of bacterium that's making a lot of excess body building proteins, and that it instantly is making your blood cells a lot healthier."

_Just like what Oak told me, it's a growth virus._ I thought.

"I still want to know how you got this extraordinary organism. Because, forgive me for saying this…" He continued, being polite to me because of my status. "but I tested if this bacteria would spread to others through blood. But when I mixed a vial of the remaining sample, along with my own sample of genetics, it started separating themselves like oil to water."

"Really?" I said, my curiosity aroused. That caught my attention, especially when it was something Oak either didn't know, or didn't feel comfortable in telling me. Basically what that would mean, is that if SOMEONE were to snag a sample of my blood and try to spread it through the criminal market, it would instead be rejected, and enough of it can be VERY lethal, for the pressure of the foreign blood trying to separate themselves from the rest of the bodily fluids will potentially cause a vein or something to burst (and it might even kill a man quickly or even instantly, if that burst point was at the heart or brain).

"So what else can you tell me, at this moment?" I asked. If something like this could potentially be used as a lethal weapon, there's got to be more to it.

"Well, it seems that the genetics weren't combined by mixing it, but I did find that an electrical charge can do the trick, if I had a Wild Pokémon specimen…" he looked downwards in disappointment. "Because this only works if I had some unexpected charge from an unlikely Pokémon that's infected with Pokérus." Which generally took electic types like the ever popular Pikachu out of the possibility pool…

"A charge… you mean like static electricity?"

Doc looked at me with a neutral face and nodded.

I pondered it over for a bit. Because not since that mission, I don't think I've ever had a static spark with a Pokémon with Pokérus. In fact, the last I handled Pokémon with Pokérus… then my eyes widened slightly as a thought occurred to me. "Do you think it might be possible for this static charge to occur [i]through[/i] the pokeball of a recently caught Pokémon?"

Doc was taken by surprise, and after a pause, it seemed like he was getting the idea. "You're saying this might have happened during that mission?"

That made it my turn to nod… and it became silent for a second.

*BEEBEEP, BEEBEEP, BEEBEEP*

I got more mail from my PDA. And when the inbox was displayed, I had two messages… the first from Giovanni, and the second from Syrus.

Naturally, since he's my boss, I read Giovanni's letter first:

**Administrator.**

**You, along with two others, have been chosen to take part in a mission of the highest importance. You are to meet me in my office in 48 hours at 1200 to receive your debriefing.**

**The Boss**

_A Super Secret Mission, huh? This sounds like fun!_ I thought, before reading the letter from Syrus.

**Eric, Get to club early. Some weirdo was looking for you and left me some strange package with a letter and something else inside… couldn't seem to open it to look in advance. But it looks like it could be some kind of weapon, since it came with a small bracelet.**

**Also, I got a notice to meet Giovanni in his office at noon the day after tomorrow. Knowing your quick reputation, I'll figure you got the same message. After we see what's up with that package, We better talk about what you were doing in Prof Oak's Lab.**

**Syrus**

"Eric?" Doc said, looking at me with a waiting gesture.

"Umm… I'm gonna have to get going, Syrus is informing me of a weird mail call at the moment… see ya!"

"But, we should be studying about this—" was all I heard until I rushed out the door in a speedwalk. I walked past Domino in a hurry, and I found she wanted to talk when I felt something pulling at my collar, turning me around to see her brownish eyes.

"You got it too?" she asked abruptly.

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"The E-mail. You were chosen by the Boss along with Syrus and I, right?"

Then it clicked in my head. "Oh, that, yeah, I got it."

"hmm." She hummed, "you really go through the ranks quickly, don't you?"

"Don't I always?" I answered in a playful taunt.

She snorted and walked off, and I decided I might as well book it to club, since it was almost time for them to usually arrive. I dodged some grunts, I avoided a crowd, heh, I swiped a bag of ten chicken salad sandwiches (out of what I estimated was a couple hundred) from the mess hall on my way past. I arrived at the Admin's messhall in a little over a couple of minutes, and without breaking a sweat except for a big exhale, whereas I held my breath the entire run.

I finished eating the second sandwich when I walked in, and took out a third one before raising the bag. Syrus, the only one in the big room at the moment, nodded and took a few sandwiches, leaving five left. I found the package mentioned on the table. The rectangular box was a larger-than-medium size—probably enough to place a narrow dagger or a ubsurdly long necklace—and looped around it, like the mail said, was a gold and scarlet bracelet with small metal feathers that look strangely familiar. I felt itchy on my chest, and I found my pendant was quivering.

Syrus looked at the feather on the pendant. I took off the necklace, and studied the bracelet… finding a missing feather in the bracelet's loop. I smiled, and thought of a movie I saw where the main character solved puzzle after puzzle and dodging the government and his rival in a race for a treasure of a lifetime.

"'The secret lies within the Charlotte.'" I muttered, quoting the movie. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Syrus frown, saying "What does that movie _National Treasure_ have to do with this?"

I found a tiny hole, enough for a somewhat large pin to fit in. I found the quill tip of the pendant's feather could fit.

"The puzzle, man, the puzzle about it" I said, slowly putting the quill in the slot, with Syrus leaning on my shoulder to get a better look.

*BOOM* The doors were kicked open, causing me to jump, and then the pendant was placed into the slot.

"Hey guys, how's it---" I started to hear Kevin say, except, suddenly he started feeling drown out…

What happened afterwards, I can't seem to explain it rationally. I felt an abrupt electric shock slash through my head, and I suddenly heard voices (yes, voices) echoing as if they were becoming some kind of knowledge to me of something I was…

_**Phoenix, Dark Distortional, Primal Temporal…. Primal Temporal, Dark Spacial… Phoenix, Dark Distortional…**_

"Wh-whoa!" I stammered, "What's with these—"

"H-hey Kevin, Get over here…!" Syrus spoke shakily.

I then felt a fiery presence, Ho-oh was near… and then I felt something echo in my head, unsure if everyone else was hearing it as well…

_All those who are gathered here to this day… shall be viewing the time long ago, that has bound the one who possesses the rainbow feather…_

_Kevin was trying to talk to me, I saw his mouth moving… Domino was apparently shrieking in Syrus's face. They looked at each other, and before I could try to move my unresponsive body, they tried to swing at us with a hook… until they just froze._

_My attached pendant began to glow, and immediately I felt a second beat in tune with my already racing heartbeat, I suddenly felt some kind of electrical charge pulse through me… with a trace of Ho-oh's Sacred Fire passing through me. Then—_

***FLASH***

_I pictured an avian-like humanoid. The skin-like feathers were a faded spotted mix of orange, red, and even yellow. It had fire colored gloves, in fact, not just the gloves, jacket shirt, all of it's…his… clothes were fire colored… as if it were a theme, a name formed about him…Phoenix, similar to my nickname. A Blaziken stood beside him, so did a Gallade. Both were well trained, and fought like brothers, they fought a trio of what looked like lizard like humanoids. They had no trace of human personality, the dark blue and orange looked especially vicious, as if it's essence of time was corrupt and an everlasting rage engulfed it's very being. The Primal Temporal also had bits of steel outlining parts of it, like an armor. He second one—polar rival, yet bound in unity through a dark will—was a slight lavender and grey with a trace of pink… the Dark Spacial felt as if it's very universe was taken over by a shadowy presence._

_Finally the third one was more alien than the other two. With a sinister snicker that felt familiar, The Shadow Distortional's very being was evil; even with the gold and grey feature features of it's upper form, along with the remaining pitch-black lower body, covered in a thick armor of some kind that made it look a bit larger. The wager was this, it's a team battle of the ages; if Phoenix became victorious, then the darkened legends' fate is up to him. If the Shadow Distortional defeated Phoenix and his partners, then Phoenix loses control of himself…_

_**The Shadow Distortional made the first attacks. Phoenix blocking the punches, Foresighted the ghostly attacker, and his blocked strikes caused it to back off. Then the Primal Temporal loosed a Hyper Beam, the stalemate from Phoenix's retaliating Aura Sphere caused an explosion, leaving—**_

***FLASH***

I returned to Planet Earth with what felt like a boom. I looked around with my eyes, Kevin was suddenly on the table with Domino on the table next to his; and when I finally moved the muscles in my neck to look around, I found Syrus slumped against a bookcase, unconscious from what I saw (thankfully no major injuries).

Domino and Kevin rolled off their table and walked towards the end of the table, groaning. Kevin was rubbing his head, most likely from a major headache. My instant adrenaline rush has passed, leaving me a bit weak and lightheaded, and I found myself stumbling into Mike.

"Whoa, dude…" He said, helping me balance. "What happened?"

I tried to think back on what happened before the flashback… what was I doing before it…?

My eyes probed around, and when it landed on a bracelet, it occurred to me what happened. Syrus got that… package. Then it came back to me: I was staring at the bracelet that kept a small box from opening, and the pendant caused that flashback to happen. I looked at the box, and the bracelet was gone, vanished. All that was left was the box, and a small badge. I took closer observation of it, and it looked like something an official would wear. The badge was like a small box with wings with a Pokéball in the center. The box's background was silver, and the wings were curved in an upward angle, with similar colors of the feather my pendant was, and on the very top of the box was a metal string attached to it. I noted the string, and felt my neck for the chain my pendant was on… it wasn't there, except for this itching feeling on my neck and chest.

My pendant had changed, as if it were a Pokémon evolving. I know it's strange, but that's apparently the case.

I opened the box, and inside… umm, nothing but a note.

_**Chosen one of Ho-oh,**_

_**Your time of need will soon be coming. The evildoers will attempt to corrupt you after you give them what they want. If you still plan to follow through on that "Assignment," then it be wise you distance yourself away from them.**_

_**Enigma**_

I looked at the letter, and I raised an eyebrow… I noticed something else on the paper.

_**P.S.: If you're wondering what was in the box along with this piece of paper… check your wrist.**_

I checked it, like the note said, and I found the bracelet placed in my wrist, the metal feathers outlining a few gold colored rings. I also found what looked like a tattoo of that feather that used to be my pendant, stretching all down my wrist. I stared at it, only to find it disappeared with the bracelet, and all that did was leave me clueless..

I then diverted my attention to the unconscious body that was Syrus… I frowned, then I sent out Marshtomp.

"Hey, can you help Syrus to his Senses?" I requested.

"Sure thing, Boss." Marshtomp said, and loosed a jet of water, not the usual Water Gun or even a Hydro Pump, but something small, definitely enough to get Syrus' "up an' at 'em."

Syrus came to with a start. When he was done spitting all of the water out of his mouth, he was mumbling something about a headache. I elected that I better start cooking, but I didn't have any recipes in mind. Instead I was leaning on the bar, thinking about what happened at Pallet Town.

_It was weird…_I thought, picturing that dark essence that controlled Drowzee_. One minute I was facing some black thing, and then it just… Absorbs me or something. It even said I had some other power. What does it mean? _I thought of the Growth virus that I had been "diagnosed" with. I thought of the temporary acquisition of Blaziken's appearance and his fiery knuckles. Finally, I thought about Ho-oh, the legendary Pokémon that the Pokédex called the "Rainbow Pokémon". I felt like I was supposed to be getting some kind of message, but I can't figure out what it means.

Then for some oddball reason, my elbow started feeling warm. I assumed I must have been leaning on it too long… so I changed elbows. Then the other elbow got warmed and I figured I might as well be nice and cozy. So, I was in the midst of crossing my arms and laying on the warm spot, until I looked down at what my elbow was sitting on.

It was on the flat burner… and the burner was orange with high heat. I yelped and snatched myself away, instantly checking my wrists. I found myself with another question, because I found that I just felt warmed. No skin melted like it usually would on a regular person, I didn't feel ANY pain, so have I just become more resistant to heat?

I figured I might as well get some rest over it… it was already late, and the sandwiches went a long way, so no one said anything about food.

I got to my room, and figured I'd lie on my bed and mull over what happened today… I woke up, did my last bit of martial arts training with Machop before paying a visit to Professor Oak. I arrived with a bit of a rocky start, but managed to assist the Prof and his assistant Tracy with a Team Rocket restraining order. While dealing with Cassidy and Butch, I ran into a possessed Drowzee, and supposedly gained some kind of enemy, along with some strange ability.

I thought about Blaziken, I started thinking about what it would be like to be just like him. I looked a LOT like him back there, could it be possible to look exactly like him? I felt slightly warmer at the thought… me and Blaziken; battling side by side… it would feel like a dream. I pictured it so clear in my head; I pictured myself as a Blaziken, with the amazing ability to jump high, to throw superheated punches, and to loose an amount of fire from my mouth without burning myself. I closed my eyes and gazed at the idea in my mind, with little thought that I was drifting off to sleep…


	17. Chapter 16: Another Break of the Chain

NOTE: in the lunch scene, the Fried Rice that Claid himself makes is actually based on a real recipe. Also, the song mentioned on the radio is real, it's done by a group called "Savage Garden".

Chapter 16: Another Break of the chain

_I found myself waking up in the middle of the night, feeling a bit too warm… my voice felt a little deep when I groaned of sleepiness. I figured I'd drag my feet over to the restroom and splash myself with cold water._

_I slid off the bed, and got a pain on my forehead as I was leaving my room. Massaging my forehead caused me prick myself on something pointed… I dragged onto the Men's bathroom. And had a tough time getting water with my cupped hands, so I grabbed a paper towel from the side, soaked it and dabbed my eyes. The lights turned on and I tried to look at myself in the mirror. All I could see was a blurred picture of Blaziken, though._

"_Blaziken, What are you doing out of your Pokéball?" Was what I said, though I heard a faint "Blaze blaze, Blaziken, Blaze?"_

_I groaned again, and then my nose began to sting… the stinging at this time meant a sneeze. I breathed through my nose, a little faster than normal breathing. Then it couldn't take it anymore, and I sneezed. Fire burst out of my mouth just then, and I stared at it for a bit._

I must be seeing things…_I thought._

_My vision felt a lot sharper… sharper like it was before, and I looked in the mirror._

_A Blaziken was what stared back, except it had emerald green colored eyes, just like mine._

_I felt numb at that. I felt… well, mixed feelings. Some were alarms screaming in panic, some in excitement, all of them in confusion… so as a result, I felt like a damned shell._

_Then something orange came to view in the mirror, distorting my image. The orange essence then turned into myself, except with orange eyes. The pupils were slits, and my teeth were bared in fangs. I looked at my hand, it looked like it was being covered in orange feathers. Suddenly my hand turned feathered. But strangely not into a wing. I looked back, and found an avian-like being looking back. The eye felt like it was getting bigger, like it was going to engulf me, and---_

"Ahh!"

I shot up out of bed. I patted myself down, human; I looked at my hands, also human; I made a small "errrr" noise, my usual voice. I leaned back into bed.

"Another dream…" I said to myself. I heard footsteps next to me, and I looked to find Blaziken sitting up next to me. Being a lot taller then even a human adult, his upper body was visible when I saw him since he got up from the floor.

"Oww…" he groaned, "I feel like my head's been bashed in recently. All with being in my Pokéball one minute, then looking at myself in the mirror… except my eyes were different."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting coincidence, I had the same dream. Perhaps great minds think alike, huh?"

"Nahh." Blaziken shrugged, "I would think that great 'friends' tend to think alike."

We locked knuckles and I checked my clock, it felt early to wake up now. "5:03", it shown, so I figured I might as well get some more rest. I recalled Blaziken back to his Pokéball and made a mental note to myself to take everyone to checkup.

I woke up about a couple of hours later, fully refreshed and all that. The time was an hour behind my usual schedule, at nine o'clock, and I figured I might as well take a load off the usual day. I hardly managed to really marvel the new quarters I now get to live in. The Grunts room was nothing but metal walls, a small closet, and a bed that sat in the corner. This room…it felt like an apartment. There was a fridge next to the sliding metal door of a larger closet; my rice cooker stood on a medium-large table built into the wall between my bed and the closet. It was enough to seat six total, two per side (Hey, the table folds back as well, nice). I looked briefly in the closet, and found my portable stove-of-sorts. I took a look at a few of my breakfast magazines. I ran through a lot of 'em, and I found myself irritated at finding all of them HAD to include some kind of breakfast staple (primary ingredient, or part of every meal). Those staples include eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, and cereal to name a few… and I felt like wanting to try something different.

I looked at the time, it was 11:28AM, and I then thought maybe I might find something in the lunch menu. So I surfed through my lunch and dinner recipe magazines, and I still didn't find any combinations. Frowning, I was considering asking Marshtomp and the gang what they want…

*PEEPAWW, PEEPAWW*

I got a different tone from my PDA, and this tone told me it was one of my E-mail newsletters. I checked the inbox, and the newsletter was the latest issue of "Best Common Dish of the Week".

_Hmm, what's this week's dish? Maybe I can make it for everyone_. I thought. This week's meal was called the Eastern Chicken Fry, complete with Chicken Tempura, Fried Rice, with the option of mixing the tempura in, and perhaps a Berry Smoothie to compliment it. The Recipe for the Berry Smoothie was no problem, since all it was made of were blended berries (in a regular blender, of course, and NOT the Berry Blender used for Pokéblocks). The Fried Rice, I memorized to heart. My only concern was going through the Chicken Tempura. Alakazam is neutral around the stuff; Blaziken likes it, but can restrain himself from going overboard; Everyone else (myself included) love Chicken Tempura… and Charizard, being a HUGE Pokémon, eats the most, so I make extra for his sake.

"Okay." I said to myself, I sealed the rice cooker shut and retracted the cord, grabbed Alakazam's Pokéball, and walked out of my quarters to the mess hall, where most of the food and cooking supplies were… and also, since lunch time for the grunts was officially at noon, I figured I can get OUR lunch all cooked up before they come in.

I released Alakazam and explained the plan to him, and I asked him to make the tempura while I make the rice and smoothies. We agreed with that plan and immediately got to work when we reached the kitchen.

Thankfully, I already had a full pot of three cups of cooked rice. Granted, while Charizard was big on meat, he didn't care for rice, so he prefers not to have any (besides, it give him gas, and you DO NOT want to be around a Charizard with gas, unless you want to be crispy and stinky). I started off with scrambling four eggs, and setting them aside, I put some butter on the heated pot, and I grabbed the rice bowl and dumped it in the pot. I broke it up as best I can start with with a spatula, and then poured about… three-fourths of a cup or so of chicken broth. The broth helped make the rice separate, and it was only after the broth was mixed in well did I then add salt, pepper, and quite a bit of soy sauce onto the mixture. I then broke it up, mixed it around, and then added the scrambled eggs. The Fried Rice was done in a matter of a few minutes, and by then, Alakazam was able to fill a couple of trays with chicken tempura.

Next up were the Berry Smoothies. I reached in one of the fridges, and grabbed a few bags of Figy, Wiki, Mago and Iapapa berries. I also grabbed a super sweet tasting Custap Berry from my specially marked bag WAY in the back of the fridge (Hey, I planted the damn things, and it takes FOREVER for them to grow their maximum of five berries per plant!). I then grabbed a blender, and Alakazam said he'll have what I'm having, which was a salty dry Wiki smoothie with a Custap sweetener. I packed in the berries, along with the single Custap, and began the blending.

As the blender was going, though, I finally took another moment to feel a bit relaxed at a calm day I was having. A lot of things definitely happened yesterday, ranging from weird packages, to having some superhuman enhancement from a non-harmful virus, to killer blobs.

Then… that moment where I looked similar to Blaziken. I was really curious about that time… I tried to think back.

I remembered that dark essence overwhelm me, I couldn't feel anything but cold, I couldn't speak, I couldn't hear. I felt… I felt like I was dying or something. Then I thought of Blaziken, I wished he were there to help me somehow. My pendant glared right then, and I felt… I felt so… I can't seem to picture it other than saying I felt _powerful_. I felt like I could knock someone out, I felt fiery. I felt like I could end a fight without an instant's hesitation… then I—

"Hey, Eric. I think that Smoothie's finished now." Alakazam said, interrupting my thoughts.

I looked at the smoothie in the blender, and jumped when I found it was a bit overdone. I abruptly stopped the blender, and poured the beverage into a couple of cups. I rinsed out the blender pitcher, and then crammed Figy Berries into the small pitcher. I began the blender, and just sat there… staring out into blank space. I guess I might have already gotten all my thoughts straight. Then I thought again of that feeling of being a Blaziken (I guess not).

_I'll admit, it definitely felt like quite a rush… to have power like that, I couldn't imagine why or even __**how**__ I got it._ I thought to myself, even though I wouldn't be surprised if Alakazam was eavesdropping.

"Hmm, sounds like that moment at the lab has you enthralled…" Alakazam said.

I emptied the pitcher, and refreshed the amount of Figy Berries, making a double batch for Charizard.

"Yeah, it has." I said, answering Alakazam's casual question. "I felt like I was able to kick butt big time, and the only thing stopping me was my lack of need. I never felt such a rush before."

Alakazam chuckled, "Well, if you thought that was a rush, imagine what we Pokémon feel in the heat of battle."

I checked the second part of Charizard's double batch. It was finished, and I put the result in a large pitcher to carry back. I put the last of the Figy berries, and I raised my cup of smoothie in a toast. All the Tempura was taken care of, with a total of two whole trays for Charizard, and three more for the rest of us. I looked around aimlessly, and I found a boom box sitting atop a pile of boxes of produce. I turned it on, and I turned it up. The DJ said they just ended the Pokémon Variety Hour (which is pretty stupid on TV AND radio), and I closed my eyes as I listened to "Santa Monica".

Something nudged me in the shoulder, and I found Alakazam was getting my attention, I looked at the blender, and I emptied the Figy Smoothie into another cup I set out for Blaziken. Finally, I put an equal amount of Mago and Iapapa berries for Marshtomp's sweet and sour smoothie. As the blender was going, I was starting to get a bit tired of waiting…

I looked over towards Alakazam, and found he was a step ahead of me, with a bit of Tempura sticking out of his mouth. He froze, and I instead asked if he could pass me a few. We both laughed about how we get to eat first, and I took a swig out of my smoothie. It felt refreshing to have a salty dry taste of the Wiki Berries, plus a sharp twang of sweetness from the Custap sweetener. We served up some fried rice for ourselves, and after we had our fill, I released everyone else.

Marshtomp, as figured, was drooling at the sight of the food. Blaziken and Charizard were eyeing the Smoothies in curiosity.

"The 'Best Common Meal of the Week', everyone." I announced. "Today's lunch will be Chicken Tempura, Fried Rice, and Berry Smoothies, each for everyone's taste."

I handed out the smoothies to everyone, I Gave Charizard the pitcher with the double batch, and we all served ourselves (in Alakazam's and my case, we got seconds, but we kept that quiet) Lunch was over pretty quickly, and it was only when the smoothies were left that I proposed a toast to our friendship. We made our toast, and everyone but Alakazam downed their smoothie in one sitting.

We hung out at the mess hall for a few minutes before we got everything washed and put away. Alakazam and Marshtomp took care of washing and rinsing, Blaziken and Charizard dried them with a small effort in heat, and I put everything away. I finally got my two pairs of plastic bags, each with a specific type of berry. I made my exit, and passed by the kitchen staff as they were eyeing me in curiosity… I let out Blaziken and Alakazam to keep me company as we walked towards the helipad on the roof of HQ.

We reached the helipad a few minutes later, and found Machop and Machoke hanging out over there as well. I released Charizard and Marshtomp so that they could enjoy the view as well. We then loitered around there, six Pokémon with a human kid, gazing down at the streets of Viridian City. I felt like I was just another peaceful Pokémon Trainer, not a commanding officer of Kanto's biggest criminal organization.

I stared out into the clear blue skies as everyone else was socializing… not very many clouds in sight, and I felt like I could let my cares just fly away.

*BEEPBEEP, BEEPBEEP*

If only for a moment.

I checked my inbox, and the note was from Kevin…

Hey Eric,

I found a weird message on your door when I was going to say hi. It had a weird combination of numbers on it [1783(11)29 654(10)]. Hurry to club, though, because Syrus has been acting all weird and stuff and is constantly asking where you are.

Kevin

I raised an eyebrow, and informed everyone about it. Marshtomp was almost fast asleep, and finally perked up at the news. Machop frowned at me, and Machoke shrugged.

"Weird Message, eh, and with a number code?" Machop inquired. "Dat's interestin', because I was told to pass one on to ya as well." He nodded towards Machoke, who gave me a small yellow sticky-note.

"'In case of imminent life threat… focus, and summon your Pokémon's---" I read aloud, but stopped as I found a scramble code… the scramble was "SOFNMYO RHCR". I tried to think about what kind of words could be made from them… none of it made sense.

"eh?" Machop looked at the back of the paper, "'Ey, there's more to the note. It says, 'a strong enough', Scramble, 'can develop—' Oh, great, another scramble."

I flipped it over, and found the same scramble on the first, and then a different scramble after that. The second one was "LKFI SUINNO". I folded the note and pocketed it, I then stopped and thought about something.

"Hey, you two want to come over to club?" I asked Machop and Machoke. "I'm a pretty good cook and I think I might have some right to swipe some stuff to make dinner for everyone."

"Hey, sounds good to me." Machoke said, smiling. "How about it? Blaziken's told us that the kid is a good cook, how about we see what he can make."

Machop mulled it over, and nodded with a smile, but then his smile flipped over into some kind of nervous expression…


	18. Chapter 17: Awakened Potential!

Chapter 17: Awakened Potential!!

"Hey, you feel that?"

I started feeling some kind of chill… not as in it's getting cold, but like some kind of sense of warning in the air. I looked around; Marshtomp was frightened, Charizard was baring his teeth and searching with his eyes, and everyone else was frozen and wide eyed. Then I remembered the note. I turned my PDA onto the note Kevin sent and replied with two words.

**Location: Helipad **

I then took the note out of my pocket and looked… and then at the code on the PDA. I looked at the numbers and went through the scramble.

PNFKMO OMER

1783(11)29 654(10)

"Eric, you sure now's a good time to try and solve that?" Alakazam said, in a voice of rising worry.

I ignored him and focused on the note. I started looking at the numbers. There was a space in there, and there was a smaller second group of numbers, like there were letters. The numbers were looking familiar, like I've seen a puzzle like this. I started counting them. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9… Then it hit me, the numbers were in an order, and it was meant to solve the scramble!

*Foomph*

I looked up from the puzzle to find a Pokémon hovering between the door and us. It looked almost human-like, arms, hands, a bit of a collar where the neck is… once I saw the head, however, I then realized what it was, and the head of all things looked like a pill that was cut open at the end, with a yellow thing on the back. From the ghost-like wisp that was where legs should be, the one medium sized red eye on it's face, and the yellow zigzag that opened up like a mouth, I identified the Pokémon as Dusknoir. Judging from the circumstances, it didn't look like it was going to let us through peacefully.

"That Dusknoir doesn't look like itself…" Alakazam murmured…

"What?" I murmured back.

"It's not itself, I checked, and it feels like it's asleep in mind."

"Wait, it's under someone's control, under Hypnosis??"

"Yeah."

I started looking at the note. I looked at the password, and counted it up to 11… 1) P , 2) O, 3) K…

"Target Pokémon Trainer Eric Claid," Dusknoir said with the monotoned voice of a hardened war major in his fourties.

4)E, 5)M, 6)O, 7)N

"Pokemon…" The area around my pendant started to itch, just as I said that word.

I looked up when I felt Blaziken's hand on my shoulder, I glanced around and found everyone linked together. We were about to Teleport. 8)F, 9)O… I looked up, and found that Dusknoir wasn't even doing—

From out of NOWHERE, I felt as if some kind of weight was pressing down on me. It was as if Gravity was intensified… and just from looking at the enemy, I occurred to me what it did, with grave realization.

It used Mean Look on me… so even if Alakazam were to successfully Teleport everyone else out of here… I would not be affected. Dusknoir was not gonna leave me alone.

"What was that shine?" Marshtomp said, apparently he must have noticed, Machop gasped, apparently he must have figured it out.

"SHINE!?" he yelped, "but that means he used Mean---"

Machop got cut off… because just as he was about to stop Alakazam, he and the other Pokémon vanished. Alakazam used Teleport, and something told me that it was a one-way ticket for escape. A very valuable ticket that I of all people was denied.

I clutched Alakazam's Pokéball. I didn't know why, I didn't understand any good reason to hold an empty Pokéball assigned to a Pokémon that isn't around at the moment, but I just clutched it all the while.

"Now, you can't escape from your demise…" the Dusknoir said… it began to approach me…

"Demise!?" I echoed… "What'd I do?"

"I have been given an assignment to eliminate… I will carry it out with my life."

"What??"

And I thought I've seen it all… first, I learn to talk to pokémon, then I have this darkside running around… now I got ghost type Pokémon assassins gunning for me. Mike was right that month ago, I AM being targeted.

I looked back at the note… the last two numbers were 10 and 11… their letters were R and M…

"Pokemon form…." I muttered desperately, nothing happening but another itch from my pendant. "Pokemon Form…!"

Dusknoir was getting close, I backed away along the railing, panic rising, heartbeat jackhammering. I backed from the railing towards the center of the helipad…

*BUMBUMBUM* "Eric!! Open the Door!"

It was Mike, and he was having trouble opening the door. Impulsively, I made a beeline for the door, I wound up hitting some invisible wall. I pounded at the wall, it didn't give out!

"NO!!" I cried as impulsively as my desperate dash…"NO!! NO NO!!!

"You can't escape!" Dusknoir shouted, and then a line of black rushed at me from the ground. It passed through me, and I swear I felt like I was being electrocuted from the legs up. The Shadow Sneak caused my legs to go through some sensation that's similar to that of when you cut off blood circulation in the legs and then try to walk afterwards. The rest of my body felt like I as punched from the inside out.

The only difference from being hit by Shadow Sneak, over, say Thunderbolt… is that it doesn't cause me to sieze up when I get hit, which meant that I was perfectly able to scream if I felt inclined. Instead, I gritted my teeth and tried to remain standing. I was hit by a second Shadow Sneak as Dusknoir began approaching even closer. I managed to stay on my feet after the second round of Shadow Sneak.

"Grrr, I'm still partying." I said without thinking… under the circumstances, I really shouldn't be saying stuff for my life's sake…

"Insolent human child, you will fall!" Dusknoir ditched the weakling elimination, and went on the full offensive. Faster than a normal person could think, it was rushed up in my front of me and throwing a Shadow Punch in about a second. I tried to step aside, but the punch scored the right side of my face, and I staggered back, spinning twice in the direction I was smacked. I managed to avoid the next couple of punches, but then a few more punches, and—

*WWWHSHHH*

Something flashed in my face, and instinctivle I shut my eyes. I backed up to avoid some supposed attack. Then my head started spinning to a point where I couldn't keep my balance easily. When I opened my eyes, everything else felt as messed up, my vision was split, there looked like there were two Dusknoirs hovering left and right and passing through each other, and then the halves just moved all over the place in my eyes view. I was too dazed, from what I realize now is Confuse Ray, to avoid the upcoming barrage the halves had.

The first on hit me in the gut, it twisted slightlly so that it hurt more… and it did. But I was winded, and I was hit another time by a hook acrossed the face. After that one, the rest came in a blur; chest, gut, uppercut, gut, chest, hook, I knew I was in pain, but instead of feeling it, my world went white instead. It was like on some of those movies where you get hit enough times, you just feel less and less a part of the world, and everything just keeps flashing white for some reason as you continue getting pummeled.

I felt myself get thrown upwards, which prolly told me I was hit by a strong uppercut. I hit the ground on my back, despite my not really feeling it.

I knew I was going to have to fight back somehow, and thankfully, when everything wasn't white, I was able to see well enough avoid the next assault. Dusknoir threw a supercharged punch, I think it was Focus punch, I rolled to the left, pushed down on the ground, and found myself on my feet. I staggered to maintain my balance as I dodged another Shadow Punch aimed at the head.

My head was throbbing, I regained my focus, and directed that focus intently on Dusknoir's fists. Time felt slowed down right then, and somehow I was now able to keep up with the swings.

Left hook, right jab, Left hook, right hook… Dusknoir's Shadow Punch barrage felt inhumanly fast, and it was amazing even to myself that I was avoiding them. But as he was winding up the next hook, something hit me in the gut, and launched me into the wall with a painful brief compression of what I assumed was an explosion. I had to remember that Dusknoir's secondary face was where the special attacks, like what I THINK was the Shadow Ball that hit me, comes from.

_In case of imminent threat… Focus, and summon your Pokémon's synchro form._

The message on the note echoed in my head… but I couldn't think, I still didn't understand what it meant!

"You're killing him, NO, LEAVE ERIC ALONE!!" someone shrieked, I looked towards the source, only to have Dusknoir driving a Focus Punch in my chest. I was launched into the invisible wall, the phantom-like pokémon pressing me against the wall with a single hand. I felt like my head was swimming, my eyes felt shadowed, my vision was blurred, I was on the verge of falling unconscious. By the time I found myself able to see well enough, I saw that a Focus Punch was fully charged.

"Farewell, Eric Claid." Dusknoir said, just as I felt that second heartbeat.

*PUM-PUM, PUM-PUM, PUM-PUM*

_I'm a target of assassination, now turning into brutal murder…_ I thought, just about all hope dissipating… _I never wanted to be this… I never thought my very being would be something like this, I never understood what that freaking message meant. Now I find it's too late, since I'm apparently about to…die._

_Why, Why do I…I…?_

*PUMPUM, PUMPUM PUMPUM PUMPUM*

_**No… I will not allow it to end like this.**_

Then everything just went red and orange.

***

It all happened faster than half a second. Dusknoir's Focus punch flew forward, able to crush a human head with little problems. The punch was intended to smash Eric's head in, except it was stopped just inches before impact.

Alakazam tried to speak to Eric in thought, since open speech seemed to be useless. But when he tried, he instead got a heated shockwave reverberating within Eric's mind.

_**Your time of awakening has come. Unleash your power, and defeat the dark!**_

"It's Ho-oh…!" Alakazam said, all eyes turned to him when he spoke… just when he spotted Eric glowing orange…

_Ho-oh, somehow, seems to be controlling Eric._ He explained in thought. _It's like Eric's somehow become what the humans say "supercharged," and through him, he's been given power I never thought a human would ever have._

Eric's power wasn't the only thing that was changed. When the glow dissappeared seconds later, his hair turned orange with the center shaped a lot like Ho-oh's wings, with what looked like curled blonde spikes with curls on the side, right above his ear. Alakazam felt the orange colored "beast eyes" replace his emerald green colored eyes again. It felt like he knew how to use Pokémon moves, judging from the thoughts moving so fast that it was not easy to describe it.

Eric suddenly vanished; Kevin took out a small camera, unfamiliar to Alakazam. Machop's brain explained it as a "VS Recorder," a small camera that was imported in Sinnoh. It allows any kind of battle to be seen and recorded for later. It can be connected to a special terminal to display said video all over the world.

Eric instantly reappeared behind the Dusknoir and swung a red glowing punch at the enemy… Blaziken recognized t as a Fire Punch, just as Eric leapt backwards to the other side of the boundaries. His arms hung limp, his head drooped low.

Blaziken and everyone else was confused about what he was doing… then Machop, as if he was a seasoned battler, was the first to spot him beginning to blur on the spot.

"What the—that's impossible!!" He and Syrus yelled at the exact same time…

"What's going on?" Kevin said. "Why is Eric blurring?"

"That's Agility…" Alakazam explained to the Pokémon, just as Syrus was to everyone else, "Eric's relaxing his entire body, and when focused, it makes him able to move faster… with enough concentration, speed like that could be dangerous to face."

Dusknoir came to its senses then, and released Shadow Sneak. In a blur, Eric easily sidestepped it, and grabbed a Pokéball. Upon a struggled gaze of what Ho-oh was supposedly thinking, Eric's eyes became transfixed upon Alakazam with the psychic Pokémon pictured in mind. It was almost if he were summoning something.

_Ah, Now I get it… Summoning!_ Alakazam thought, remembering the note Eric read aloud.

"_In case of imminent threat… Focus, and summon your Pokémon's—"_

That quick glance in the mind finished the sentence, "Synchro form., a fraction of a Pokémon's power"

"Pokemon form, Alakazam!" Eric commanded, and the Pokéball in his hand then enveloped him in a odd white space. A pang of force from Eric's mind rushed through Alakazam like a wind blowing with a bit of effort. Eric reappeared, his whole eyes now glowing a complete emerald green. Alakazam felt like communication was stronger over telepathy.

Eric changed again. His hair, goldish brown colored, resembles that of Alakazam's head, except that the front of his hair looked like that of Alakazam's mustache. His hands had some silver-colored tattoo swirl on the farther wrist to the palm, which was assumed what happened to the spoons that any ordinary Alakazam would always have in order to focus their psychic abilities. It was what the humnas described as "awesome."

_Too cool…_ Eric thought, his racing thoughts and body being his own again. _Waay… too… cooool…!!_

*Eric*

The rush, the feeling, it's so incredible! I felt like some newly made superhero! So this was what a Synchro Form, an acquisition of key points of a Pokémon's power, really is.

I floated down from midair and I was looking at the Dusknoir that almost killed me. I thought back on what the brief feeling of what Alakazam's primary moves (Psycho Cut, Barrier, formerly Light Screen… Teleport, and Psychic). I then wondered how I would use this power.

_Eric, can you hear me?_ Alakazam spoke telepathically.

Looking past Dusknoir, I looked in his direction, and then at the awed faces of everyone else.

_Whoa, that's Eric?? His hair looks like Alakazam's head, just like it resembled mine back at the lab!_ Blaziken's voice echoed in my head.

_Aww, no fair! Why does HE only get to do that cool stuff and not ME or the rest of us?!_ Then I heard Mike's voice.

_Daaaamn._ Syrus didn't have much to say…

_You done with reading minds now?_ I heard Alakazam say again.

I guess I must have read everyone's minds. Dusknoir was observing me, trying to get an idea what happened. I knew it was gonna start attacking soon, so I figured I might as well get an idea of how to use this power.

_One step ahead of you._ Alakazam said. _Rundown of Psycho Cut: picture a blade as your hand… the longer and sharper the blade is, the more effort is needed to maintain it._

I pictured a blade in my hand, as instructed, and I pictured it to be about… a foor and a half long, and half a foot wide. I thought hard on the picture, and said "Psycho Cut!" Then a moment later, my hand felt like it was really clutching something. I opened my eyes, and there it was, thin foot and a half long, six inch wide, purple colored psychic blade, with my hand AS the handle. I relaxed my hand, knowing it was there, and swung it once… only to find it dissappearing just like that. I felt confused for a few seconds, then I realized getting it supposed to be the easy part.

_This is where effort comes in, Eric._ Alakazam coached. _You have to put energy into that blade to maintain it…_

"A new power, hmm?" Dusknoir said, his voice echoing for some reason. "Even with some new power, you're still only human. This time, I will not miss!" With that statement, Dusknoir charged again. I regained the Psycho Cut blade and began pouring energy into my new means of defending myself. I started getting a headache, and I quickly figured that I was putting too much into it.

The Shadow Punch came at me in a speed I was now able to keep up with. I dodged punch after punch, until I finally found an opening. Putting what I got into the psychic blade, I fought back with a few slashes. Dusknoir retreated for a bit, and then I took MY turn to be on the aggressive. I dashed forward, yelling that kind of "Yaaaaaahhh!!" people do, and started swinging at Dusknoir. Southwest, southeast, east, twirled and east again… I felt like my slashes could easily be described in directions on a compass, but every swing started chipping at my stamina. I was still going strong, but I jumped back three times backwards when it started blocking.

_Hey…_ I said telepathically (I think), while I started breathing a little more rapidly. _How do you use Teleport?_

_Picture the position where you plan to be at, and you'll teleport there._ Alakazam said… _The farther you go, the more effort… and if something's in the way, you'll feel pain on the spot that it would've been on instead of just teleporting._

Then an idea formed, and I got some strange feeling that what happens next will make it work or not. I took a deep breath, and charged at Dusknoir, Psycho Cut at the ready. A Shadow Ball, as I had hoped for, was launched from the large mouth on the enemy's belly, it was right then that I threw the blade at the shadowy blob, and the stalemate caused an explosion. I pictured myself standing behind the enemy, focused and hopped. A rushing feeling occurred the minute I blinked, and I was behind Dusknoir, just by looking at the shadow I was standing on.

_Genius! Keep it up, man!_ Kevin's mind reverberated in my head just as I whirled around and struck Dusknoir from behind! I teleported again, struck, again, struck, I was literally slashing from every angle, and I wasn't feeling tired at all! Dusknoir tried to smash me with a few Shadow Punch hooks, but with no luck

Dusknoir, despite being assaulted by my Psycho cut, was still able to remain upright. I continued Teleport slashing, and then I finally felt it was time to finish it. I reappeared directly in front, Dusknoir began shaking, not from fear, but from trying to remain upright.

"N-no, I…I… n-n-no…I won't…!!" Dusknoir was struggling to even speak. I was really starting to pity it, all this Pokémon was doing was following orders, but I get the feeling there must be something worse than dying that Dusknoir didn't want to go through. I help the standoff, but it was just as the effects of my constant teleporting and Psycho Cut slashing were starting to really take their toll. I, myself, was beginning to have a hard time standing, and I was panting in fatigue.

"Dusknoir… Please." I pleaded. "Just let it go… I won't let myself be killed, so I just…want to know two things. First…" I swallowed, my throat was going dry. "Who gave you the order to target me… and… second… Isn't there… some way to…" the effects were getting stronger, now I'm really having a tough time speaking now through all that panting…. "convince you to surrender?"

"No…." Dusknoir said, "This barrier…is intended to lift… when one of us… loses… when one of us… dies…" it clenched its fists, still making an effort to fight.

I felt like the life drained from my face as I became utterly and completely horrified. It was, in full sense, a fight to the death. The winner lives… the other loses their most valuable possession… that once it's taken, it can never be given back.

I was frozen with all the panting and petrified at the thought… I had to take the life of this Dusknoir, who could have lived a great life, in order for me to survive. I actually have to take the life of another, and it was…it felt like I was forced to murder someone… as part of the law of the jungle.

Eat or Be Eaten, Survival of the Fittest, the Strong Survive while the Weak shall die… I never liked the ideals on the law of the damned jungle. I didn't like them because I considered them to be too cruel. I understood that Wild Pokémon put up with this every day. But to find this around people was just not cool with me.

Now I have to follow this through. I actually have to kill this Pokémon JUST to survive… I found my blade starting to waver, but I restored it to its full intensity. I readied myself to attack. I found myself not needing to pant anymore.

"Yo-you…will… fall…" Dusknoir said shakily. "Or….you…w-will…"

"Shut up…" I said coldly. I felt sick, I felt very sick, sick of what I was truly about to do. "Just… shut up."

Dusknoir looked at me intently. I stared sadly into it's eye, knowing full well that the rest that it will see is either my dead body… or just a neverending darkness. I felt a tear well up in my eye, I only just received this new ability to defend myself, but I now know that I have to take another life with it.

"One final attack…" Dusknoir said.

I nodded silently, and said "Everything we have left… this will determine everything." I looked past the enemy towards everyone. Everyone, including Nikki and Sam, was just as horrified. Kevin felt like wanting to send this resulting video to his penpal, and demand it be kept secret. Syrus was numb to find an incident like this happen to me when I was so young… Mike felt so bad for me. I tilted my head down, my hair shadowing my eyes from the sun's glare. This was it. I began putting all I got into the Psycho Cut blade in my hand, into a concentration so sharp, it's like a real sword. I felt like I was attacking myself, attacking my very conscious.

"But before we end this, Why… Why does your employer want me dead…?" I had to know, a person wouldn't hire a hitman for no good reason. They always have a reason to hire someone to kill another.

Dusknoir paused, then he told me "Hasn't it been made obvious?"

"What?"

"You've become something not completely human, but not completely Pokémon, either. You're one of the first humans to be able to understand what Pokémon truly say, you've just displayed that you can use a Pokémon's attacks without completely becoming one. You, Eric Claid, have made a stronger connection to your Pokémon than any human would ever be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dusknoir remained quiet.

They say the truth hurts, sometimes for a while. You know something, they were right for this truth

"Okay…" I said, my resolve straightened out.

I began to dash at Dusknoir from the opposite side of the arena. A red spotted black energy was building around the stomach maw… I raised the hand holding the psychic blade behind me, ready to slash. The energy around Dusknoir stopped building; it was fully charged.

"HYPER BEEEAM!!!" Dusknoir roared.

"PSYCHO CUT!!!" I yelled back.

I began to scream in a battle cry sort when I got close, The Hyper Beam fired, and it hit me squarely without exploding, but I still kept running, screaming as I ran through the assault. I reached the enemy, and I swear, I put everything I had left, and threw it at the enemy.

The beam was stopped, the world was silent. My left arm was lifted in midair, the very moment was decided, my hair was no longer that of Alakazam's head, but that of my own head of hair. I felt my heart beating,

I won the battle… I won survival of my life, and as such, I also sliced Dusknoir in half. I literally halved it by my own numbed hands, using a blade conjured up by my mind.

A cold wind splashed over my neck, a jet black gas was spotted passed my face. Through the eyes and minds of everyone else, Dusknoir, permanently defeated… began to disintegrate from the two halves across the open maw.

The barrier vanished, the summer breeze wafting against me, feeling cold. I fell to my knees, I doubled over. I then let it all out at once. I was crying.

"I…I…" I sobbed, I couldn't find myself to say it. I took a life. I took a life of a Pokémon with no say about it. I felt sick, I felt sick and torn up and above all, painful. I let Blaziken help me to my feet. He led me towards Alakazam, who in turn looked at Syrus.

_He won't go._ He said in open talepathy. _Replace him, delay the mission, I don't care, Syrus. But given the circumstances of what happened today, Eric isn't going anywhere for a while now. He needs time to recover from this._

Syrus didn't say anything mean, he didn't say anything messed up, he didn't even say more than "Yeah…" I knew. He was horrified still. Nikki's face was buried in Sam's shoulder, turned away from me. Sam knew I would be scarred from this for life. Mike was thinking how he was going to cover this up. Finally, Kevin was… I have no other word to describe it aside from him bring purely disturbed. He was contemplating sending the resulting battle video to his friend Lucas over in Sinnoh, but he decided to keep it for himself, for my sake.

I decided this news was worth telling only the closest of friends. "Kev…"

Kevin hesitated, he was wondering what a scarred person like myself would want to tell him.

"G-go ahead and sent it." I told him under a haunted voice…

"Send what…?" He asked, but he already knew what I meant, he just wants me to confirm it.

"Your resulting recording of this incident. Go ahead and send it to your Friend's PDA…"


	19. Chapter 18: Scarred

Chapter 18: Scarred

Alakazam teleported me to my room, where I laid down on the bed, hauntedly quiet. I was able to shut off the tears, but I still couldn't get the images out of my head.

_A jet black gas was spotted passed my face. Through the eyes and minds of everyone else, Dusknoir, permanently defeated, began to disintegrate from the two halves acrossed the open maw._

I was devastated at what I done. I took the life of another Pokémon. I took it knowing I could have died to preserve it. I killed that Dusknoir with a psychic blade… my Psycho Cut blade. I was the person forced into killing the Dusknoir because it was meant to be an assassination on me, and I was hoping there was an alternative to either outcome.

_I never realized an assault like that had actually been my doing._ I thought, my tears stained on my face. _To think this kind of incident was possible because of… because of…_

I buried my face into the pillow and tried to shove the images out of my head, but with nothing fruitful. The blade, concentrated to a lethal edge… my battle cry, bursting out of my mouth as I charged through the deceased Dusknoir's Hyper Beam… the horror of realizing I had to do it. It hurt like hell. It hurt like hell and I hated every moment of it. From the minute I joined this stupid organization, I knew I would gain strength, not just in battling skills, but later on, in my psychological endurance.

I've gained enough mental strength to deal with looking at the faces of Trainers as they see their Pokémon being taken from them… I was able to handle the fact that I was committing crimes for the selfish idea of getting even with someone during the Pokémon Indigo League, of getting stronger. Because of that endurance, I've been the guy with one of the best poker faces on Team Rocket, with Giovanni being better.

This incident alone, however, has placed me on my breaking point. I committed an act that I swore I would never do, my life was put on the line for reasons I have yet to realize. Never before have I felt so… so morally painful.

The adrenaline from all that fighting and stress has finally worn off. I rolled over, facing the wall on my side, and took a deep breath. I was able to relax for a bit, despite my wanting to go to sleep even in this very late afternoon, I still couldn't get those repeating images out of my head.

"_This barrier…is intended to lift… when one of us… loses…" _Dusknoir's voice echoed in my mind as if he was right in front of me. _"when one of us… dies…"_

Someone sat down next to me. I felt everyone's sympathy for me, Blaziken, Alakazam, Marshtomp, Charizard… then everyone else through Alakazam. It only made me want to burst into tears again. I wanted to cry again, but not about what I did, not about what I've been dwelling on already.

I wanted to cry… because I now feel like I treasure my Pokémon's friendship more than anything in the world. Because I now realize I shouldn't take it so casually, after enduring an event like this. I felt so happy at the feeling that I'm not alone…

_Get some rest._ Alakazam said… _I'll take care of cooking over at club. Just get some rest, you need it…_

I cracked a smile, finding the humor of finding my _Pokémon_ to insist I get some rest. But I was tired, and I was sure Alakazam knew what he was doing. He, along with all of my Pokémon partners, have my highest trust… something I wouldn't easily give another human person. I rolled over and lay on my bed face-up, as Alakazam vanished from the room via Teleport.

_I have decided…_ I thought_. I think I'll try to learn to get the hang of this power, grow stronger with it. I should be able to prevent something like this from happening again. I think I'll get the hang of this new ability._ I remembered the second portion of the scrambles, and what Machop said, and pieced it together..

"A Strong enough Synchro Form, can Develop… what…?" I said to myself.

*BEEBEEP, BEEBEEP*

My PDA got a new message; I checked the inbox and found the message from Kevin. Being second nature, I began to read it.

**Eric, **

**I sent the message to my pen pal the minute I got to club, and he told me in his reply that he'll only tell his Girlfriend. I really do feel sorry for what happened… I only know you for nearly two months, and I wasn't sure if you were different from the other admins. I guess I now know how different you really are, and I'm sorry for what happened before.**

**Kevin.**

**P.S.: Did you know Sam has a brother? He was actually just as new as I was, and he came by club to say hi. We wound up telling him everything on the condition that it remains secret. He also said he'll be coming over a bit more often, so I guess we got a new member.**

I smiled at the thought, I actually knew that Sam had a brother, named Daniel, and he's a good kid at that. But since being hypnotized by Hypno once too many times, he was afraid to want to come.

I put my PDA down. I lay there, face up, thinking of what happened when Ho-oh took over at the battle.

_**Be aware that those who you borrow traits from will leave their impression as part of you, as you will to them. The humans will also be unable to duplicate your power, even though one not of human origin can.**_

Ho-oh then explained that when the bond that binds me and my Pokémon together grows to it's strongest, then Pokémon and Trainers can truly live in what Ho-oh dreams to see. Pokémon and man, living in perfect harmony, thinking like brothers instead of just partners.

I began to wonder what it meant, thinking like brothers, instead of just partners. What's the difference between the two? Does it mean thinking the same, does it refer to a close friendship, or is it defined as something else entirely…? I kept thinking about it some more, and I guess I fell asleep while in the midst of it.


	20. Chapter 19: Thoughts

Chapter 19: Thoughts

_I wasn't in the lava anymore… I was not laying faceup over some kind of heat, over some black void where I couldn't see or taste or even smell, but feel and hear._

_Instead, I was standing before an old eastern like tower. The surrounding area was only a single path, and woods with nothing but darkness beyond them. Despite the tower and the area I'm standing being brightly lit, like it were daytime, the sky above me, and everything else, it was still black._

_I felt like I've been here before… like I was merely returning home from a trip. I walked in, and began hearing bells going off the minute I set foot inside… the sound was indescribably high pitched, yet it instead sounded like some message in feel._

_I kept walking forward, and went up the staircase slowly, I started hearing a second set of bells ringing. The bells felt like it was some kind of voice, someone trying to say something._

_I felt a warming kind of feel further upwards… I was sensing that Ho-oh was waiting…_

_I walked up the staircase to the third floor. I found a couple of guys rushing behind me, I ignored them and kept walking. I reached the top floor, where I found some clear bells that look like jewels, also ringing._

_I found a large platform at the front, but when I got there I found no one. I felt the presence at its strongest when I stood on the platform, and I felt burning on my chest prior to reaching the edge._

I woke up smelling smoke and with a very large warmth on my chest. I tried to get up, only to find out what the smell was for.

"YAAAHHH!!!" I screamed when I found that, surprise, I was on fire. Apparently I must have fallen out of bed or something to find myself on the floor instead of the bed. I did the standard Stop-drop-roll and put the flames out, but I still felt like I was still too warm. I checked the pendant, and I found it was illuminating my lightless room. I lifted the metal, and it felt hot, but not enough to burn my hands.

I looked over myself, when the thought arose. I patted myself, gasping sharply in expectancy of pain… there wasn't any. In fact, my chest was still the same, as if it was just some illusion.

"Hmm…" I would have usually said "Weird," but on the other hand, I started to wonder what exactly fits the definition anymore.

I turned on the vent, and buried my face in my hands, still in need of sleep… I checked the clock and found it was only 2:25AM, way too early in the morning to be up.

I dropped back into bed facedown, and jolted back up with a pain in my chest. The pendant was warming and cooling, then warming again, and so on. I finally figured something was up and dragged myself to my feet, pulled on some clothes, and grabbed my belt of Pokéballs. I suddenly felt like going off to the helipad, the place where my life felt completely different. I walked down the halls, mulling over yesterday's events..

_I still can't believe it was me._ I thought, picturing the brief battle that happened. _I took the life of a Pokémon, of all creatures, and it acted like it had no regrets. I can't escape that fact; and yet, it feels like I was justified. It was like the Pokémon was doing something worth its loss._

I was numb. I was not sick, disgusted, like I probably should… instead, I was just numb, neutral, just completely aware of it even though I don't display it. I thought of Ho-oh, what would Ho-oh think? I committed an act so unforgivable, so what does that make me… a coward? Not willing to die to save another, would that be it?

I reached the helipad quicker than I thought, and I opened the door. The sky was a blue and orange shade in. as if the orange was only masking the blue that was the dawn light. I reached the end of it and gazed out at the sunrise. It was so beautiful… like one of those kinds of things you'd want to see on a date. I wished that beauty could help in relaxing my soul, though. Because despite my physically feeling numb, inside I felt like I was still crying over what happened here. I also thought what I considered to be Dusknoir's last words, his reason for targeting me.

"_You've become something not completely human, but not completely Pokémon, either."_

I pulled out Blaziken's Pokéball and gazed at it. I entered a phase of power that no one (that I know) has ever gone before. I was able to use Alakazam's attacks, one of which I never figured out how he managed to learn (Psycho Cut). Plus, I realize that this power can be as dangerous as it is helpful.

I guess it really is like this saying… "With great power comes great responsibility."

I decided to give this a try and got up and stood back. I closed my eyes and pictured Blaziken, the fiery fists, the strength, and the flames he can use. I clutched the Pokéball, focused hard on the image, and said "Synchro form, Blaziken."

Everything went white after that, and I felt warmer inside, my hair felt like it was being combed and gelled into place by something unknown. My mouth seemed to have heated up as if it was super tolerant of anything hot and spicy. My vision still remained superhumanly sharp, and I had the thought that I could break whatever I wanted with my bare hands.

I returned back to reality, and I looked over myself. My hair resembled Blaziken's head, right down to the V-shaped brow in front, which was formed over-top a chunk of the front of my hair that was still the same texture. I had a few brown squares on my wrists and the tops of my hands. I figured what they did and then I leaned back onto the railing, releasing Blaziken in the process.

Blaziken looked at me up and down, and then stood next to me. We stared out at the sunrise… me with one of my closest Pokémon… my original "Starter Pokémon."

"I suppose things are be different, aren't they?" I said.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Blaziken said acknowledged solemnly, "Though it's funny." I looked at him, listening. "How it all started with wandering into that Tower in Lavender Town last year. Back then I heard people calling you naïve, and now that you know, look at you now. Able to command the lesser grunts as if you were the boss."

I stared back towards the sunset. I thought about how I was able to deal with stealing Pokémon and hurting the trainers they belonged to, I thought grimly of the Dusknoir who fell by my hand. I did a lot of bad things, I began to wonder how much more I could handle being in here. I managed to take up to two whole years of hurting people for some long lost purpose that no longer mattered anymore. Pretty soon, I'm going to have to draw the line somewhere. I'm sure it's definitely going to involve something so inhumane, that I would rather leave than commit it.

"From fruitless kid to fearful commander, I guess." I finally replied. "I feel like I came a long way…no, WE came a long way. I started out in Hen, I managed to battle for the money to buy a ferry ticket to Kanto, I came crossed Charmeleon who became Charizard. Fuschia City, I helped out an Abra who was suffering from a fever, then I passed by a Day Care and got the egg Mudkip was in…" I realized I was babbling, so I cut right to the point. "Thing is, it's been a long time since I chose to be here. I wasn't in it for the money, the glory, or just to steal… I originally did it to be a stronger battler. I never was sure if you understood me back then when I told you, but…" I stopped.

"Yeah. I understood you…" Blaziken said. "But once Kadabra explained when you found out, I still find it hard to see why you haven't left already."

I began picturing the incident that made it all happen. I was still the kind that told me I had lessons to be learned, but it was the situation afterwards that I joined Team Rocket.

_I was excited, I surpassed some of the best trainers! All I had to do was two more matches, and then I'd face the final Rounds against the legendary Elite Four!_

_The first round went to the opponent's Slowbro, who swamped Charizard with a variety of Water and Psychic attacks. The Second Round was a surprise upset when Mudkip forcibly took part and actually defeated the opponent's Yanma with moves like Ice Beam and a seriously strong Water Gun._

_The Final Round was with Blaziken, The opponent Masquerain was trying to restrain him with Psychic. Blaziken countered by blasting the enemy with a well aimed Flamethrower, throwing them off balance. The enemy Pokémon recovered their balance just enough to avoid a Fire Punch. The Pokémon used a Psybeam/Psychic combo, causing the Beam to come around and aim at Blaziken if it missed. A few attempts, and Blaziken stumbles, resulting in a harsh blow up front. Blaziken staggers up, the enemy flitters quickly and unexpectedly fires off a Hydro Pump. Blaziken uses Flamethrower to give himself an extra push to avoid it. This was it, I've got this in the bag._

"_Blaziken, Slam 'em with Bla—" I was stopped short when my head unexpectedly felt clouded. Everything lost focus. I couldn't hear, I couldn't see well, I couldn't speak straight. I felt wobbly. By the time the worst was over, Blaziken was down, and I was sitting down, my head still foggy,_

I never forgot that day, when I finally came to my senses, I was in the lobby, my opponent snickering at me. He told me one thing that hurt me the most, I felt shattered after it, but it was one factor that made me who I am today.

"_Your goofy little tricks, your wimpy Pokémon, and worst of all, your puny little determination. All your effort went up in smoke because you fight clean. Pathetic."_

I looked onwards towards the sky, it was beginning to turn blue with morning coming. Blaziken looked at me and said "Looks like you're back to yourself, and a good thing too." I looked back at him and smiled sleepily at my best friend. "I know, but starting tomorrow, we're gonna see if Machop and Machoke can reserve a private arena for the sake of training." I spoke, growing drowsier.

"For now, I figure we might as well get some rest." Blaziken yawned, "This chain of events we had has finally gotten the better of me."

"Yeah… If anything, I'll say this…" I looked out towards the morning sun. "I suppose the world's become a bigger mystery to me than any piece of research could explain." I said. It seems while I knew there were new wonders about Pokémon… in my eyes, I guess there's almost that many wonders about myself as well…

We walked off to my room. I recalled Blaziken and wrote myself a note to begin training when I'm not on the job or at club. I also decided I needed to talk to a counselor. I might have taken a hit on my morale with the incident. However, I now begin to realize that I truly am not what I wanted to be. Now that this realization occurred… well, anyone can figure it out from there.


	21. Chapter 20: Prophet Pokémon

Chapter 20: Prophet Pokémon

"So, have you considered going outside of work, perhaps… taking a vacation?"

"Not really, I'm not too sure if my boss will let me."

I was at my counseling session with Dr. Joseph Kerry at northern Viridian City. He was considered the most caring person to a lot of people, and I found him to be a trusting person.

"And what about these 'dreams' you have?" Dr Kerry continued. "You explained them in remarkably great detail, what would you make of them?"

I paused for a moment. "It feels like it's something I need to know… like some kind of message."

"Hmm…" Dr. Kerry was typing something into a computer, "Well, this tower you told me of, it sounds a lot like that of the Tin Tower in Ekruteak City in Jhoto. Have you ever been there?"

"No."

He continued clacked on the keyboard. "OK, perhaps you should visit there, I hear they've got a festival every year to celebrate the legendary Pokémon… err, what was it again?" he closed his eyes, trying to remember.

My pendant shimmered, and a name popped up in my head… "Ho-oh?"

"Yeah, that's the one. They say that few people have ever seen Ho-oh, let alone met it face to face or even in battle for that matter." Dr. Kerry made it sound mysterious as he went. "Legend says that Ho-oh appears when Pokémon and humans—"

"—live together in harmony" I said just as he did.

Dr. Kerry paused again. "Perhaps you should make it an idea to visit Ekruteak City and the Tin Tower."

I thought about it. _According to the stories, The Rainbow Pokémon is said to appear towards the most righteous Trainers. But… am I really so righteous? I worked with Team Rocket's evil business for two years. So what was so right about my actions? All I know is that something about me says that I'm chosen to "represent" Ho-oh among other humans… whatever that means. Do my answers lie in that Tin Tower?_ I sighed.

"If it were my choice…" Dr. Kerry said. "I would consider visiting Ekruteak for a bit. The Gym leader, Morty, is a good friend of mine. He can help you out with any inquiries about Ho-oh."

"Hmmmm…" I had a lot of questions I want answered, I wanted them answered soon. However, I got the feeling that if I was going to get anything further, I will have to visit the Jhoto region. Oh well… I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a vacation after all.

"OK, I'll see if I can give that a shot." I said, with my mind made up. "I might have enough days off to warrant a small vacation. So I guess I can afford to visit Jhoto for awhile."

I got up from the chair I sat in, and shook his hand. "It's really a good thing I decided to take counseling with you, Dr. Kerry." I said, feeling refreshed.

"It's nice to get to talk to you, Eric." He said. "You're really one of the first few youngsters that came to visit. I hope your trip to Jhoto helps."

"Yeah, me too…" I said before finally forcing myself to leave the building.

Viridian City was really about as close to a big city as it gets. Granted, it doesn't have the huge business skyscraper called "Silph Co." in Saffron City, but it's got some giants. Large apartment complexes, some few jumbles of businesses here and there.

As I walked down the long street to the apartment complex that was Rocket Viridian HQ, I found myself looking at a bunch of tents. I checked my PDA, and then I remembered. Today was Wednesday, and Northern Viridian City always has a street market open on Wednesdays.

I put my hands in my pockets for a second, and noted that I had plenty of money, so I'm fine with shopping. I decided to look around; a few people were trying to get my attention as I was looking around. Then something near the Pokémart caught my attention. I spotted a green flash happen past a crowd of people just clearing out. I walked over to the stand.

The guy only had potions and stuff that an ordinary Pokémart would have. I looked around the stand, and then I realized what the flash was for. I read the flyer that was posted there.

"THE NEW MEDICINE ON THE GO: THE POKÉBALL TRANSFER MODULE!!"

I heard about these. The Pokéball Transfer Module is a invention that causes a medicine to be turned into a light energy and "beamed" to a Pokémon. What happens is that you attach this to the lid of a potion, and you'll place your Pokéball on the module. Once the module is active, the Pokéball will begin to absorb the converted medicine, causing it to glow white. Once you've filled it with a medicine, you can then send it in a green colored beam to a Pokémon, enveloping it and treating wounds on the spot. The effects aren't as strong as ordinarily applying the Potion to wounds, but it's effect happens quickly, and some comment it mimicking the Pokémon move "Recover". The more powerful the potion, the greater wounds they can heal.

This breakthrough in Pokémon medicine became popular before it was even released, and was up for preorder. I made a deposit for the preorder package when I read about it in an issue of PokéMania Magazine. Included in the preorder package was the module, five Potions and Super Potions, Two Hyper Potions, and the highly efficient Full Restorational concoction or "Full Restore". There's also a lottery ticket given out in the preorder for a chance to meet the Champion of Sinnoh. She was recently recognized far overseas in the Sinnoh Pokémon Regional Championships, and quickly became quite the buzz, being a second female champ in a row.

I looked around the stand, looking at the price tags on the new products. They finally decided to give out the Revival pellets in Pokémarts around here, which was quite the relief. The price tag was also the same elsewhere…

"Eric, that you?" someone said. I looked up towards the salesman. "Kenny??" Was the first thing that came out of my mouth when I recognized him. Kenneth was the clerk down at the south end. Since I was a regular customer, we became friends after awhile. He's also one of the few people who actually know I'm in Team Rocket, but that's a different story.

"How've you been?" Ken asked.

"Eh, not much. Decided to finally see a counselor…" I responded, a bit of a sigh while I spoke.

"Hey, it's about time. You're really a great kid to be with, but sometimes I think that business of yours can get to your head."

"Think so, huh?" I mulled that over for a second, but shrugged it off. "So, How was the demonstration?"

"It was fun!" he said, excited. "I was actually amazed at how it worked so well, I even managed to spark a small battle out of it for the reason of seeing it in action afterwards."

I smiled at finding him in a good mood. "Heh, I can't wait to get mine over at the mart down south."

He apparently gave the look that said he remembered something. He fetched a clipboard from behind him, and flipped a few pages. "Ahh, there you are." He picked up one of the modules. "Okay, since you're a preorderee. That means all you need to do is pay off the last bit of the package price, and you're good to go."

Despite being unexpected, I didn't hesitate twice. "Alright, here you go." I paid off the second half of the hefty 120,000 "Pokédollars" (ridiculous name, I swear, I prefer Yen). Now I finally have my own Pokéball Transfer Module, complete with a thin manual and the preorder package. I checked the lotto number on the ticket included, 77721.

I raised an eyebrow. _That's a kooky combination. The jackpot sevens and blackjack 21 … oh well._ I pocketed the ticket, and decided to move on around the street market.

"Double your Earnings with the rare Amulet Coin! Very tough to find these beauties."

"Incense! Want a great smelling battle, then get your scented incense here!"

"Hey, you! You, with the pendant!"

The Street Market was definitely a busy place. All kinds of merchandise were sold, events were going on to demonstrate new products… things just never tend to get old on these Wednesday street markets. Perhap I can visit these more often, work with the Rockets can get rather dull without some staff event going on.

"HOY! ERIC CLAID!!" Someone shrieked from behind me. I turned around, and it looked like a short totem pole. I forgot what it was… the stand it stood in was for fortune telling.

"Behold, YOUR Future! Fortunes from the psychic! Free fortunes if Xatu speaks of you!" the sign said.

_Xatu!_ Now I remember, the totem pole was the Pokémon Xatu! Many people of elderly age sometimes called it a "Prophet Pokémon". According to Alakazam (NOT the Pokédex), it was said that when a Xatu did a fortune on any one person, the fortune would come true. While I have yet to really see that firsthand on someone else, hearing this info from a Pokémon should be noted.

"You, You're the young Claid boy?" Xatu squawked. I nodded, walking up to the counter.

"You… you're claimed to be innocent by the one of the Sacred Fire?? Bah, You don't look that innocent!" Xatu continued, it's wing pointing at me.

An old lady walked up to the counter… and she gasped as Xatu was talking to me. "Oh! You've been spoken to by the viewer of the future! I am surprised to find someone as young as you to be sooo—"

*FWAP*

Xatu's wing slapped the old lady in the face, saying "Silence, human woman!" The old lady was about to lash back, but I said "Hold on…" and she changed from irritated to curious in a heartbeat.

The Pokémon looked into my eyes, and just as soon as I saw Xatu's eyes glow blue, I felt transfixed. I felt the urge to use Alakazam's Synchro Form… but I know it's not wise to do it out here… in this crowd.

_Young Claid._ I heard Xatu's voice echo in telepathy. _Your power still sleeps, it has yet to be fully awakened. It has been revealed to you, giving you a fraction of what it can do, but nothing more. Show me that power!_

I felt the urge to use Alakazam's power even stronger. I held it down, though, and thought against it.

_Why?_ I respnded in telepathy. _Why do you wish to see my secret?_

_HAH, Secret!_ Xatu laughed _Your "Synchro Forms" are of NO secret to me! However, I want to see this first hand. Now SHOW ME THAT POWER!!_

_No! I won't let you force me to show you!!_ I thought, fighting the urge to grab Alakazam's Pokéball, as if I was wrestling someone.

_Hey, you leave him alone!_ I heard Alakazam's voice demand towards Xatu. My Pokéball was shaking, and then glowed a bright brown. _You want to see it so badly? Go Ahead. Show him!_

The urge was getting tougher to fight. _But… All these people…_

_They'll see it as some practical joke by Xatu…_ Alakazam was serious. I struggled with the urge only a little longer… then I let it go.

Losing a heavy weight on my mind, I snatched up Alakazam's Pokéball. Alakazam's face appeared in my mind as I held it in front of me, nodding for me to follow through.

"Alakazam, Synchro Form!" I commanded. The Pokéball flashed, and I felt more control with my thoughts. I felt my eyes glow in the emerald green that they were colored at birth. I felt like I was emanating a power from my entire body.

_Ahh…!!_ Xatu's expression was that of amazement, _So it is true. You really are Ho-oh's chosen one_.

"Chosen…one…?" I mutter vocally.

_Yes. Your future will be a dark one, one full of dangers and perils you and your companions will have to face. The ultimate shadow will attack more than just you yourself. He will attack your heart and soul. The one of the Sacred Fire awaits you acrossed the seas. You must pass the shadow's test of survival to awaken your power further… only when you meet one of the highest status, will the path to fully awakening your power be found._

Xatu's wings opened up completely, revealing an eye pictured on it's body. _Beware. The shadows know about you, Eric Claid. Very soon, they will seduce the evildoers you fight with. If you plan to escape that corruption, and avoid from harming your dearest companions, then you must not remain there… but leave. Flee until you have awakened your power, and become the true manifest of the Sacred Fire!_

My pendant felt hot at that minute. I pulled it out, and it was flaring bright again. In fact… it was like I had to go to Jhoto… like it wanted me to go.

"Alakazam… We'd better get going." I declared. "I'll talk to the Boss and see if we can get a couple weeks off… because we're going to visit Ekruteak City."

I decided to pay the lady the price of the fortune as a tip before dashing off. On my way back, I stopped by the Pokémart, and got some Revival pellets (6,000 Pk$s for a pack of four, ugh). I arrived at the front gate of "Thermo Rock Apartments" on the northeast corner of Viridian City, only a few blocks from the Pokémon Gym. I then sent out Alakazam and instead he gave me a sour look.

"You really want to ask me again? Why not try using Teleport yourself?"

I felt like I was in one of those cartoon sweatdrop moments. "What?"

Alakazam sighed. "Selective memory… ugh. OK, remember when you first performed that Synchro Form?"

"Yeah."

"OK, since being able to read other's minds afterward, I figured you had enough potential to use other abilities. Teleport should be something you can do."

I frowned… "But I'm not really as strong with mental abilities as you are, though. How can you be so sure I'm able to pull it off?"

"Just try it." He levitated in front of me, "Now, I'll use Teleport to get past the gate. But as I do that, pay attention to what I'm thinking."

I looked into his eyes, and I saw a picture of me looking at the aparetments, without the bars of the gate. My view returned to normal as Alakazam closed his eyes. In thought, his picture of him where he thought of being became more focused, as if it was real.

"Teleport." He commanded calmly, and an instant later, he was there.

"Got the idea?" He asked.

I mentally noted it. _OK, Think of where you want to be, believe it to be real, and say "teleport." Sounds easy enough_

"Just think of only where you want to be… don't get distracted or you'll wind up somewhere else. Also note that the farther you go, the more effort it will require"

I envisioned my room, my quarters in the complex… I pictured myself in front of my bed, perhaps two feet away from the side. I envisioned how it felt to be there, as if it was real. I focused everything I had into making my entire self be transported.

"Teleport."

I closed my eyes and felt the familiar rushing feeling of being take from one place to another. The next minute, I was in my room, exactly as I envisioned it. Looking around, it felt like an amazed excitement washed over, the kind you get when you finally try something you've always wanted.

Alakazam appeared in front of me a moment afterwards, smiling with pride.

"See? I knew you could do it!" He said, his thoughts indicating his being thankful I could Teleport, making one less weight off his shoulders. "Now, How do you feel?"

I didn't lie. "Awesome! I could do a LOT from teleporting into---" Instantly out of nowhere, a sharp pain in my head, and everything went black.

I woke up in bed with a migraine and my vision spinning. Confusion swept over me due to what happened, one second I was excited over doing something new, then suddenly I black out as if I had a stroke or something. Everything I saw was spinning, I shook my head, but it was still bobbing around.

"Whoaaa. What happened…?"

"Hm, you're awake already." Alakazam said nearby.

My headache was gone a couple quiet minutes later, Everything was still spinning, though, despite it not being as bad now.

"Hmph, I suppose you're under a bit of confusion instead of being exhausted…" Alakazam said, and while I tried to focus on my spinning view, it appeared like Alakazam was trying to feed me something. It had a bit of a sweet taste, and perhaps a bit of a slight punch of spiciness… "Here, I'm sure Perism Berries help with confusion like this."

I swallowed the berry quickly, and I found myself able to regain my focus a few seconds afterwards. Vision back to normal, I looked towards Alakazam, who was apparently observing me from the table next to me. I couldn't help but feel some sort of chill in my spine when I looked at him in the eye.

He looked either disappointed, or concerned, from the look of it. I began losing my nerve for some reason, and the look was still pasted on there.

"Eric…" Alakazam said without so much as twitching his eyes.

"Hmm?" I murmered, a bit too uneasy about actually saying something.

"I'm assuming that you have no idea why you blacked out after teleporting?

"Ummm, yeah, that's right. And I'm assuming you do?"

Alakazam closed his eyes, "It appears to me like you're not too strong willed… you're mentally too brittle."

I felt offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"He gave me a strong stare. "It means that while you're resistant to some mental strain, once you pass your limit, you're done. You used too much effort in teleporting just here, which isn't too far. As a result, you black out and woke up thirty minutes later in a state of confusion."

I sighed in dissappointment. I guess I was in over my head.

"However… improving your mental resistance is like lifting weights. Put some strain on it, and only stop when you've reached your limit."

My face came up blank. "And that is done…how?"

"Well… how it's done is that you begin to focus your energies into one placement. Once you do that you'll be able to spread it so that you can……."

Alakazam turned away, and it didn't seem like it was going to end, especially when I'm completely clueless on what he's saying. So as I tuned him out, I began staring off into space… just staring into who knows where.

I summoned a Psycho Cut blade in my hand and stared at it… I turned the lavendar colored handless blade a bit. Without putting much thought into it, I tried bending it, and I felt a strain as the mental effort kept it together.

"Hmm…"

"…..And finally, you'll be able to lift things with—Eric? Eric, did you get all that?

"Nope" I said flatly, still toying around with the psychic blade. I tried breaking it with one hand, and also keeping it together with the other. I realized I was starting to get a headache from it, though I didn't stop. Perhaps this is that kind of mental strain Alakazam mentioned before he went motormouth. After a couple minutes of increased effort on both sides, the blade broke, and dissipated shortly after. The result left me with a very strong headache, and a bit of a lack of breath.

I paused for a moment as I thought about it… "What about just using psychic attacks like Psycho Cut? Would I improve my Psychic power just by using it?"

"Hm, sounds like a bit of a stretch." Alakazam said, eyebrows slightly raised, "Though I guess it's a start. Psycho Cut is actually very easy to manage, though. In comparison, keeping it stable is like keeping a door closed. The amount of strain you'll get is dependant on the outside force."

"Well, perhaps I could slowly put more effort into it so I can improve it."

Alakazam mulled over what I said, closing his eyes in thought and muttering "More effort… hmmm."

While he sat there, thinking. I went to the closet and picked up a small laptop and hit the power button. Once it was finished booting… I went online and looked for the soonest time I could take the ferry to Jhoto.


	22. Chapter 21: SS Tidal

Chapter 21: S.S. Tidal

We arrived at Vermillion Port a couple of hours early, the wild sunglasses and blue rider's cap giving me minimal disguise. Today was apparently a busy one, with sailors and crewmen lugging cargo to various small boats. No one looked at me in shock or discovery, so that was a good sign I was safe for now.

I looked around for the SS Tidal, the ferry that was currently making a round-the-world trip. The next destination was where I wanted to go, so I bought a ticket online last night and wrote down the code to redeem it.

It definitely was a good thing I didn't take many vacations. When I asked Giovanni for a vacation the previous night, I was surprised when he just smiled and stated that it was alright. I packed a spare change of clothes, a first aid kit, and some pokémon supplies into the medium sized backpack. Thanks to Charizard, I was easily able to arrive here without requesting transportation.

I managed to locate the tickets booth amongst the crowd of people. The tickets for Jhoto were still well stocked, though Sinnoh tickets were all sold out. I got my tickets, and asked the man about the Sinnoh tickets…

"Bah, People want to see this new champion of Sinnoh. They're all so "oooh, aaaah" about it being a girl. Personally, it's just a girl champion, no big deal to me."

Upon noting the new champ, I remembered about the lottery. "Hey, you know that lottery that came with that new Pokémon medicine item?"

"What, those Pokéball Transfer thingamajigs?"

"Yeah, did they announce the winner of that lottery yet?

"Nope. There's still the preorder craze going on. It might not be for about a week or so."

"Ah, Okay. Thanks."

I continued my visual search for the SS Tidal, and when the thought occurred to me, I found it at the end of the port, near the Diglett Cave further west.

The Tidal was fairly large, being a ferry with a first class upper deck. I was glad I decided to pay extra for the ticket, because I hear first class can have some exclusive Pokémon events that anyone not in first can only watch.

I arrived at the pier holding the ticket in my pocket. I kept an eye out for pickpockets that wanted to steal whatever I had. I showed the suit at the ramp my first class ticket, and despite him raising an eyebrow at me (along with mentally wondering how a kid like me could afford the ticket), he nodded and informed me how to reach first class. I walked up the ramp onto the ferry. I faintly noticed someone giving me a bit of a glare as I looked around. I spotted the walkway towards first class, and I took it.

First class really was what it was cracked up to be. I felt like I was in a royal ball. Lots of people dressed in formal clothes, a few people looked their best… not one person dressed like they were in some biker gang or something of that sort. There were even Pokémon out walking around, though quite a few of them were dress-up buddies for some of the rich ladies, there were still some that looked like they were well trained for battle. Very few of them were showing lack of discipline, and the ones that were undisciplined are youngsters like Pichu, or Magby. I decided to let out Blaziken, Alakazam, and Marshtomp, and let them walk around.

"Alright, guys, this is first class of the ferry. While I'm sure there's plenty to explore, don't go too far out of sight." I cautioned everyone.

Marshtomp began looking around quickly. "Ooh, where there are ferries there's always gotta be those things…" he said. "Oh, what were they called…? Those things with the lots and lots of food, and that we can grab as much as we want."

I looked around myself and spotted what Marshtomp was talking about. "You mean a 'buffet'?"

"Yeah, a buffet! Where is it?" I looked back towards Marshtomp, and he began drooling.

I crouched down to meet him eye to eye and frowned. "You realize you're going to have to display some good behavior, right? You still tend to make a mess when you eat, and while buffets are great, you can not eat straight from them."

"Awwwww" Marshtomp whined. "Why not?"

"Because other people want to eat from the buffet as well. This is public, after all." Alakazam said, hovering at level height. "Oh, and are you gonna get something already? Blaziken's ahead of you two."

I got back up and looked towards the buffet, and sure enough, Blaziken was already serving himself with some entrees. I couldn't help but snicker at the looks at some of the people's faces when I passed by to serve myself and Marshtomp.

The buffet was full of REAL good stuff, saving me the trouble of trying to cook. All the best stuff most would want in a fancy restaurant: prime rib steak, potatoes of all kinds, even some Eastern favorites like Tempura, Teriyaki Chicken, Sushi, and a variety of rolls.

I served Marshtomp Sushi, Tempura, and potato logs and set him to a table away from the crowd, and Blaziken sat down and began chomping on one of two pieces of steak.

As I served myself for my meal, something tapped my shoulder. I turned around, and it was a guy of high stature. Sky blue colored suit and hair gelled back in the same kind of "Rich boy" kind of style.

"Are those your Pokémon?" he asked, in a look of interest.

"Yeah, they are… why?" I said

"How'd you train them?"

"Hmm? In what?"

"Table manners, of course. I mean, your Blaziken served himself marvelously. How'd you teach your Pokémon such politeness?"

I was not expecting something like this, a compliment of my Pokémon being a bit more civilized than most others, from a rich boy.

"Um…" I was a bit caught off guard, so I hesitated a couple seconds. "Well, I've usually been without pokémon food, so I tend to cook for me and my partners, sometimes when I have soup, I just taught them how to hold silverware… kinda how you'd want to teach a little kid."

"hmm…" he muttered… what he **thought** was:"_Been without Pokémon food"? So does this person actually give his pokémon people food on a daily basis?_

_Eric, you going to be standing there all day, or are you going to let others use the buffet. You're holding up the line, you know._ Alakazam said.

I jolted. I looked and found people going around my plate to get what they wanted. I looked towards Mr. Rich Dude.

"Well, I'd better get going, it was nice to meet you… err…" I paused.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my name's Walter." He paused for a second. "Hey, you're Eric Claid, aren't you?"

I raised an eyebrow. _Did I suddenly grow a reputation or something?_ "You know about me?"

"Yeah. I was rooting for you on that match back then." Walter said. "You remember your opponent, the one you lost to?"

I felt uncomfortable… how could I forget?

"_All your effort went up in smoke because you fight clean. Pathetic."_

I nodded.

"Well, there was a big upset at the big championship match." Walter continued. "Right when the Masquerain was about to lose to Dragonite, something caused the Champ to lose his cool. He went all dizzy, and couldn't say a thing… Dragonite recognized it and looked back to find out what was wrong… and… well, then it got Ice Beamed."

I recognized that happening to me back then. I was about to have Blaziken defeat Masquerain, until I got cut off by a sudden wave of cloudiness. As a result, I was too dizzy to issue commands, and I barely found Blaziken unconscious from what I think was Hydro Pump.

"Hmm, hey, you mind joining me at my table over there?" I pointed out where the table was, Alakazam still staring at me.

"Alright, after you." He said, and we walked over to the table and sat down.

I introduced everyone to Walter briefly, and everyone nodded and smiled. Marshtomp was once again a mess, and I had to clean wipe him up (and explaining to Walter he's still working on table manners).

"So, you said he got dizzy… did it happen just like that? Like what happened in my match?" I said, resuming the conversation.

"You had the same problem? Perhaps the rumors were true." Walter said, more to himself than to me

"Yeah." I said, "I was about to have Blaziken win the match for me, until suddenly my head went all cloudy… I could barely see or hear, and I couldn't seem to speak. Though what's this about a rumor?" I noted his statement

"They say that guy is a real psychic, able to mess with people's heads when he wants to."

_You mean, he's a real Telepath?_ Alakazam said in open thought.

Walter looked around, trying to find the source of where the voice came from. I pointed to Alakazam and said "Telepathy, took awhile for him to get used to it, though."

"Hmm…" Walter mused again. _First, he has Pokémon with table manners, and now he has a Pokémon he can communicate with._ He thought, _Claid really is more than meets the eye, or in my understanding, the media._

"So anyways, there are rumors that this guy is a real telepath?" I said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hm?" he paused, "Oh yes… yes, and there were more things about him than anyone can imagine. One popular rumor states that he is using illegal Pokémon from another region."

"Illegal?" I said.

He put a finger on his mouth, gesturing to keep my voice down. "This is only a rumor… but they say that Pokémon with artificial adjustments are being used by that trainer. Most of them think it's the return of Shadow Pokémon."

"SH--!!" I almost burst out… then in a quieter voice, "Shadow Pokémon!? But weren't they all dealt with?"

"Apparently not… and if the media is right, there's said to be a new kind of Shadow Pokémon, one that can't be purified." Walter said.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "How do you know this, and why are you telling me?"

"I overheard a couple of guys looking for someone that seems to match your description…" Walter whispered. "Not sure what they meant when they said 'his power is developing as we speak,' so perhaps you could help explain it."

Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to explain myself… I mean, what's the risk?

"OK, I'm not sure how this works, but for some reason, I've become more in sync with my Pokémon for some reason." I said, "And, long story short, I'm able to use Pokémon attacks and abilities to some extent."

Walter was curious… and intent on seeing proof. "Really? You think you can show me?"

I paused, and took his warning a bit of consideration. _Maybe it's wise not to._ I thought. "Uhh, I dunno if that's a smart idea. If there are people looking for me, wouldn't that be easily spotted?"

"Good point." He said.

"Besides," I continued, "I'm not exactly sure how it works… I still need to work on how to use this… whatever it---"

*RININININININ, RININININININ*

Walter jumped for an instant, then he plucked a PDA from his pocket. After he skimmed through an E-mail, he began typing rapidly. For some reason, I couldn't help but stare at his eyes. They skimmed through the PDA almost panicky, as if he were impatient to get respond to someone. I felt a funny feeling when I looked at the eyes, something felt odd about them.

Then I saw it.

The once olive colored eyes quickly turned crimson red. I flashed the similar thing happening before… a stare into them, then an odd feeling, then that sudden crimson color in their eyes. I felt fixated to the spot, frozen. My eyes focused on the red color.

_Whoa…! Didn't that happen back with Giovanni?_ I thought. _What's the eye color for? Why does it feel like a bad thing?_

"Hm?" Walter looked up at me, completely displaying the red eyes. I strained to remain still, fixated on the crimson that felt more than bad… but more like something sinister, something dark.

_What's his problem…?_ Walter was thinking. _Wait, is he seeing…? No, he can't be seeing that. Normal people can't see it._

"Eric?" Walter said, trying to get my attention. I didn't respond.

_Perhaps his "power" is improving faster than they said…nahhh, it ain't real._ Just like that, it felt like time just stopped. All I saw was his eyes and then the pupils began to appear wispy. The mist became cloudier and gained a slight color…

*BZT*

A small crackle of purple sparked from the cloud. I felt like I was walking towards it.

*Bu-Bump…Bu-Bump*

I felt some instinctive heartbeat coming from the center of my chest, where the pendant was. The cloud began to clear away and it revealed a wall of sorts. No, it was a door, the handles were in front of me.

*Bu-Bump, Bu-Bump, Bu-Bump*

The beats gained pace, and I felt like opening this door. It felt like a central area, like a living room, or some command center, like it was the heart of it all.

"Heart…" I felt my voice echo.

Heart. Why does this door make me think of that. A door to the heart?

Wait a minute. Door to the heart… that sounds so familiar, why?

I let my hand feel through the door towards the handle… it looked like some ordinary wooden door, except it had pink and purple swirls instead of the usual brown.

_What the--!? YOU!!_

"ACK!" I yelped. I wasn't in front of the door. I was staring at an empty seat. I felt something shake me a bit rough. I turned towards Blaziken, who lifted his hand off my shoulder.

"You OK?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I dunno… I just don't know."

*grrowm*

I forgot that I didn't eat yet… I got around to getting at my food, and I found myself still hungry.

I walked back to the buffet, and got myself a second serving of what I had previously. I walked back to the table and scarfed what was on my plate, and still felt hungry.

"Wow." Marshtomp said simply.

"Sheesh." Blaziken said in the same tone.

I walked back to the buffet, I picked up six pieces of teriyaki chicken, three egg rolls and two chicken rolls. I also grabbed a second plate and loaded it with one piece of steak and potato logs.

I got back to the table put the plates down. I gobbled two egg rolls, and then grabbed the chicken teriyaki until—

"Damn, man!" Blaziken and Marshtomp spoke in raised voices… the piece of chicken was almost in my mouth, when I looked at them with raised eyebrows.

"Have you realized how much you're eating, Eric?" Alakazam said, looking at me with disbelief.

I stared at my plate. Then slowly looked back at him. "Sorta." I responded

"Is something bothering you? I've read about people eating away their worries."

I continued scarfing food. I left the empty plate that once had tempura with rolls on the side. I was in the process of attacking the fries when Blaziken, Marshtomp and Alakazam said "ERIC!!"

My heart skipped a beat, and I began to choke on the fries. I instantly grabbed a glass of water and drank it down to help the food go as well… and went "What!?"

Alakazam began to hover over the table, and looked me in the eyes.

I knew what he was going to do, and I raised my hands up in surrender. "OK, OK, I get it."

"Well tell us, then!" Alakazam snapped.

"I was staring into Walter's eye for some reason, and I found them turn red." I began.

"Just like with Giovanni back home." Alakazam noted.

"Yeah. Though for some reason, I felt like I had to stare into those eyes a little more… I felt them as bad for some reason. Then the strangest thing happened."

I explained everything that happened from there. Blaziken was curious about the door. He said it felt familiar to him… something that he was told about by Golem back in the Club before this entire mess. Marshtomp was clueless, Alakazam was deep in thought.

I looked at the seat, and it quickly occurred to me who was sitting there.

"Hey, what happened to Walter?" I asked

Alakazam's train of thought was interrupted. "He said he had to do something of the 'highest urgency' and left." He explained. "You seemed to have given him the creeps, though because your eyes seemed to have glazed over for a few minutes. What's odd about it is that the longer you were in a trance, the more agitated he got."

I paused. _Perhaps what I saw wasn't a hallucination of sorts._

"Well, now that we set sail, we probably can't swim, can we?" Marshtomp said.

Hold the phone! "Huh? We set sail?"

"Yea, the horn went 'Toot Toot!' and someone said we have set sail."

I guess I was oblivious to the outside while in that vision. "Hmm. There should be a pool somewhere on this ferry, perhaps they'll let you swim there."

"Let's go, then!" Marshtomp hopped on the table, almost knocking over the container of soy sauce.

"I agree." Alakazam said, an idea formed in his mind. "You might also be able to get some training done on your psychic ability while you're at it."

I raised an eyebrow, primarily due to the fact that Alakazam is shielding his brain from my finding out what. I looked at the plate of food, and continued eating.

Over the course of the next hour or so, I met up with one of the staff that leads their guests to their rooms. I checked into my room, placed my stuff on the bed, and looked at the map for the pool.

The pool was currently on First Class Reservation time, so only those of first class could swim for awhile before it was open for anyone. Alakazam found this as perfect, because not very many people were around, and most of the people here are sunbathing women. I sat down on a chair closest to the shallow end, and Marshtomp jumped in.

"OK, man, what's this idea you're thinking about?" I asked Alakazam.

"Well, you know how you're able to use Psycho Cut, and Teleport." He explained, "Now I'm going to show you the next thing you can do with your developing abilities."

My patience was dulling, I don't like waiting on some big idea. "OK?"

A ball of water began to float up next to him. "Levitating water."

I stared at Alakazam as if he was out of his mind. "Whaa?"

"This training takes your psychic concentration, and helps build it up." He explained. "It can also help you manage your psychic hold on loads of things, allowing you to use Psychic to throw an enemy in your line of fire, using an attack that missed the first time for a second shot, and a whole lot more. But first, you need to be able to use it for an extended period of time. That's the idea I came up with."

I took a few seconds to take all that in, and couldn't help but smile. Despite that explanation being one hell of a mouthful, it actually made sense. In short, lifting water with Psychic is just like lifting weights with your bare hands.

"Alright…" I said, the idea sinking in. "Now, how do I lift water with Psychic?"

"Picture a bowl." Alakazam said,

"What?" Bam, brain-dead moment.

"You heard me, picture a fishbowl in your head."

I sat down next to the pool, closed my eyes and pictured a clear glass fishbowl. Y'know, that kind of glass sphere with a small hole at the top for the water to come in.

"OK, good. Now open your eyes, and think of yourself as holding a fishbowl, a real fishbowl."

I did as I was told, and my hands felt something solid. A purple fishbowl appeared in my hands, just as I pictured. I put effort into it as I dipped it into the water.

"This is important, Eric. Whatever you do, while you maintain the picture, you also need to maintain your focus." Alakazam warned me. "If you grow too excited, then you'll be giving too much effort and it won't hold."

I lifted the bowl, and I felt that mental strain, all right. I began to lift the bowl… and it was sloshing water inside it. I was carrying water with my MIND!

_This is too cool._ I thought, marveling at the fruits of success. _This… is just too… COOL!!_

The bowl and the water began to grow restless. "Whooaa, that's co—"

*BOOSH*

Just like that, the water in the sphere exploded, soaking me in the process. I narrowed my eyes to lines, and Marshtomp, witnessing the water bomb just before diving again, rolled over laughing instead.

"I told you so…" Alakazam commented his eyes in thin lines of disappointment.

"Hey, Come on, I couldn't help it. It looked so cool!" I retorted.

"Well, despite it being cool, you need to remain focused at all times. If you get all excited like that, you'll find yourself giving off more power than you need, and that's not good." Alakazam said. "It's especially not good if you're working to contain something potentially dangerous, like fire. If something like that were to explode, unlike water, then you'll hurt yourself with more damage than the enemy intended."

I tried again, mumbling. "Using Psychic is a lot like creating what you picture in your mind." Alakazam continued. "Whatever you picture in your mind the most, can be made with Psychic. You want your bowl to float, picture that for example."

I slowly retracted my hands away from the bowl, and it floated there, as I told it to… I told it to go left, it hovered slightly left. I felt my excitement growing, so I took deep breaths to remain calm.

"OK, now how are you holding up?" Alakazam asked.

I felt like there was no strain. It was almost as if this became child's play in only a few minutes.

"For some reason, this feels easy now." I said, not batting an eye at Alakazam.

"OK, now focus your energy so that the bowl expands. Let me know when you begin to feel some strain, and that's where you push your limit."

As I followed instructions, the ball of water got bigger as Alakazam filled the ball. Pretty quickly, the ball became as big as my head… then big enough that Marshtomp could fit in. Slowly, I began to feel effects of mental strain pressing down on me.

The strain stopped increasing briefly. "Alright… hey, well look at that." Alakazam commented. "I guess you got a strong mind after all."

I focused on keeping the picture of the large bowl, I couldn't get an idea of what size I was currently carrying.

"Wow, this thing's BIG, just like when you wash dishes back home!" Marshtomp shouted from somewhere above.

"Alright, Eric, you ready for the next level?" Alakazam asked, with a bit of a challenge in his tone.

"Like what?"

Alright, now you're able to hold a large ball of water, now try and divide that into two.

I paused… and it sounded disgusting. "What…?"

"Divide it into two, then try four."

I paused, the large body of water just sitting still where it was, Marshtomp still swimming in there. I pictured the body of water splitting into two… similar to what I saw in a science oriented movie. That water became oval shaped, and I pinched the middle of the water, then with a *BLOOP*, it became two bodies of water.

"Ewwwww!" Marshtomp teased, unknowingly speaking my thoughts. "You made a pair of water balls!" then he started laughing again, quickly being muffled by the water as he sank.

I began taking deep breaths as my anger rose, in an effort to calm down. I was able to manage to keep my anger in check, but barely.

The strain on my head felt weakened, and I found that the bodies of water were surprisingly large.

I was beginning to feel drowsy. The bodies of water were wavering, I focused a lot harder on maintaining their shape, but it was beginning to wear me down.

"OK, it seems you've reached your limit, Eric. Slowly, go ahead and return the water to the pool" Alakazam instructed.

The bodies of water slowly floated back down to the pool. When they were halfway in, I then released my psychic hold, and the rest of it splashed back onto the pool.

I didn't realize how much that took out of me. I laid down on my back, panting. I had another headache, but it wasn't too bad. Alakazam laughed, and I was too tired to try and find out why.

"What… What's so… funny?" I asked in between breaths.

"Well, for a human, you can color me impressed at your kind of mental strength." Alakazam commented.

"Hey… What's that… suppose to mean?"

"Well, you've seen psychics before, but none of them ever got close to what you did."

I managed to laugh a little bit. "Hey… if you hadn't realized… I got a bit of an advantage over them. They never gained their partner's abilities via…uhh… oh, the Synchro Forms…"

"Hmm…" Alakazam mused, "sounds to me like we aughta give it a name. We call them Synchro Forms, but we haven't given its process much thought…"

"Perhaps we should give this kind of system a name." I suggested.

*BEEP…BEEP*

I patted myself, and plucked my PDA out of my pocket.

"New message, eh?" I muttered to myself, and opened the mail from the Ferry (Sender: Tidal Auto).

**Attention all First Class Passengers,**

**Thank you very much for sailing with us in the S.S. Tidal.** (I rolled my eyes, thinking, _sailing, right. Typical stuff_) **we are proud to announce our special Pokémon events that First class will get first chance at. Our first event will be a Pokémon Talent show, everyone can participate, and can try for the 100,000 Yen Grand Prize! Our Second event, after the Talent Show, will be a Pokémon Battle Tournament for all! The champion of the tournament will get a 500,000 yen grand prize and the chance to meet Cynthia of Sinnoh, the one who passed on the torch of Pokémon Champion in the Sinnoh League, and earn the honor of battling her. We sincerely hope your trip will be a memorable one. **

**Happy sailing in the S.S. Tidal!**

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, at least things won't be too boring around here…" I said to myself, "Plus, I wonder what Cynthia's like in Battle. Only one way to find out, and that's to win this tourney."


	23. Chapter 22: A Former Aquaintance

Chapter 22: A former acquaintance

It was finally time for the events to occur, and while I wasn't too hot with being stylish, I immediately signed up for the battle tourney under the name of "Felix Phoenix".

Marshtomp and Alakazam insisted we watch the Pokémon Contest for "helpful reasons…" but because the Pokémon Battle Tourney was intended to be done with one on one matches, I didn't have a clue. So I went along, and let everyone watch from the far back, where Charizard wouldn't make too much of an obstacle. The Contest was a big surprise on my part, and when I thought about it, I was thankful that I came along. Loads of neat tricks and combos were used to make the performances more than stellar, especially this one dude who had his Gardevoir use a circle of Magmar's fireballs and have them swirl around. Then Gardevoir brought them together and the fireball rose up and exploded into a brief rainbow wave when struck with Psywave. I looked at the fireballs as a combo Blaziken and Alakazam could pull off as a finisher.

A half an hour after the Contest, the Winner was decided, and it turned out Walter joined the contest. Unfortunately for him, he was only runner up, but even though he didn't win the money, he still earned a ribbon (which was apparently all he aimed for, since he's already rich).

I met up with Walter later on at the dining area of First Class. I had plenty to say about his Ludicolo and Slowbro performance, since they put in the maraca act and showered the stage with snow and rainbow, which both made something ordinarily common into something especially unique.

"Hey! You were great at that contest." I said, still thinking about that performance.

"Ah, you were there?" he said with surprise. "Thanks, my Pokémon have been practicing to make that better than anything else."

He put his Ribbon in his case. "So, you going to take part in the Battle tournament?"

I nodded with a smile on my face. "Yup, I might wind up running low on funds before I know it, so I might as well take part so I can still be well set."

"Hmhmhmhm." Walter looked entertained, "I haven't seen you battle in awhile, I always wondered what new trick you'll pull next. Perhaps it could help develop my cousin's battling skill. He loves to emulate skilled Trainers, and I tend to transmit videos of whatever various tournaments I watch. I just know that you'll make some fairly entertaining matches."

***DING DONG…..DING DONG***

"**All Contestants for the Pokémon Battle tournament please go to the Contest Stage. The Pokémon Battle Tournament will soon commence, all contestants that signed up please go to the Contest Stage."**

"Well," I said. "That's my cue."

"Hey, Don't forget about those odd people I mentioned earlier." Walter warned.

I nodded in acknowledgement, and I speed walked off to the Contest Stage.

The Stage was not as fancy as it was during the contest. Before, it was a grandstanding gateway to those of the word "fabulous", with the yellow and lavender swirled curtains and the pink and sky blue lights illuminating the edge of the stage. Now, it was just something you'd see in some ballet studio… no color for the lights, the curtains were blue, and the stage floor was just the plain, polished, and wood colored brown.

The crowd for participating in this tournament was surprisingly small… only about 30 to 35 Trainers attended. Almost half of them were rich people, with boredom reigning most of their brains. Then the other "almost half" of the group were customers NOT in First Class, and want the money to be theirs.

A small bit of the group… were a mystery, I focused on them, and couldn't get a single thought except one.

_This mind is kept secret. You try to read it intentionally, we'll find you and your trainer too._

I felt a little unnerved. _Someone with a tracker for mind readers? Eerie._ I thought.

*PMM PMM PMM PMM PMM*

I heard the sound of someone tapping a microphone. We all stood in line as we faced the host of the tournament, who seemed to be the captain. If I recalled correctly, Captain Briney used to run a small fishing boat that helped wandering trainers reach Slateport City. Later, for one reason or another, he was then asked to run a ferry. I dunno who asked, or why he did it, but that's about it for my knowledge.

"Hello Trainers from all classes" Briney announced on the mic. "It sure is a pleasure to announce our first cruise line Pokémon Tournament. I'll admit I'm not familiar with how those kind of events work, but I will at least explain the rules in this tournament."

I felt like snickering at him. Thanks to my practicing mind reading on a regular basis, I was able to pluck his brain out of the water. Sure enough, he was CLUELESS on how to run these tournaments.

"The uh, Battles will be run under singles rules." Briney said (Reading a piece of paper on the podium), "Under these rules, only one pokémon may be present from each side. Battles will commence until a Pokémon is knocked out. Uh you will not be allowed to switch Pokémon until the winner is declared."

"Hehehehehe…" someone snickered behind me. I glanced back to see who it was… suddenly just glancing at the guy's familiar purple eyes made my blood run cold.

His name was Leeroy Thilch, expert on psychology, a rumored telepath… And above all, he was the guy I lost to in the Indigo League a couple years before.

I suddenly felt like time was stopped again. It was only him and me in a world where everything was dark.

"Hehehe, who'd have thought I was supposed to meet you again, loser." Leeroy said.

"Leeroy Thilch," I said, addressing his name as I were to hold some grudge. "You think fighting dirty is everything, don't you…?"

Leeroy smirked, his lengthy black hair covering his eyes in a thin curtain. "You think honor's all it takes to win, I just proved to you how the world really is, that's all."

"This time I'm ready for you, Telepath. I won't lose to that stunt you pulled last time."

"What, THIS??"

Bam, it hit me. A Wave of cloudiness and confusion. Everything began spinning around me.

"Hmm hm hm hm hm hm hm…. Hehehe, HAA HA HA HA HA HA!!" Leeroy laughed, he was enjoying what this effect did to me.

_So this is what he did to you…_ Alakazam's voice echoed in my head. _Now I've seen everything._

In only the few seconds the fog was there, it was gone just like that. Nothing spun, nothing was cloudy, everything was clear as day, so to speak.

"hehh?" Leeroy apparently didn't expect this… but he regained his smirk, and said "Oooo… so that guy wasn't lying. If that's true, I can't wait to see him."

"Him?" I questioned, "Who or what are you—"

"You better hope you face me in the first round of the tournament, Claid." Leeroy interrupted, "Because anyone else that gets in my way will suffer a fraction of what I intend to give you. Hehehehe, and trust me when I say 'it's not going to be pleasant'."

"Haaahahahahaha…." His laugh echoed as the world regained itself, and he and I were the only ones standing. The smirk he had was still plastered to his face as he walked away.

As I looked after him, I got a shake on my shoulder.

"Hey, you still with us?" A woman's voice said.

"Huh?" I looked toward who it was. The woman looked like she was in her late twenties, perhaps her early thirties. Her wavy blonde hair masked a bit of her face, namely her left eye.

"Oh, yeah… yeah, I'm here." I said, realizing what she tried to do.

"Good, your eyes seemed glazed over long after the captain's speech."

"Hmm…" I looked back where I was looking at, Leeroy was gone.

I looked back at the woman, and when I looked at what she was wearing, all black and hard to describe, the high black heels gave it away.

"Oh! You must be Cynthia!" I blurted.

"Nice to meet you." Cynthia said, holding out her hand. I shook it, and said "It's an honor, ma'am."

"So, who was it you were staring at?" she asked looking me in the eye. Her brain told me she saw my face somewhere… but couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"Leeroy Thilch…" I said, glancing back near the exit as if I was being watched. "He's taking part in the tourney, and I have a score to settle with him."

"I see." Cynthia said, though she was still trying to remember who I was.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, ma'am." I said. "Name's Eri—I mean, Felix."

"Eric Claid, huh?" doggonnit, my mistake clicked it, now she remembered me.

I paused, briefly think of lying… but I figured I was caught. "Y-yeah."

Cynthia made a solemn kind of smile. "I knew I recognized you from the news. You're that kid wonder that everyone seems to be talking about."

I frowned with a bit of irritation… I've been getting one hell of a reputation, and I, unfortunately, have no idea what for.

"Kid wonder?" I kept it plain and simple. "What for?"

Her eye began to glow a sky blue. _Give it a moment's thought._

I stared at her sharply. _You're a telepath?_

"Hm." _nice guess… but no, not really._

Then it hit me… "Pokémon form"

She nodded. "It's the latest phenomenon that's been happening with Trainers around the world. According to the news, Kanto and Jhoto seem to have the most of these new trainers… Sinnoh is still without one that I've seen."

"Hold the phone," I closed my eyes, still trying to absorb all the info. "So, what does it have to do with me?"

Her expression turned grim. "Ever since the Pokémon was able to communicate, they talk about something regarding the Phoenix Pokémon Ho-oh… that an 'Eric Claid was on his way to embrace his fate'. I learned of a voyage going around the world and naturally, I took it to find out more in Kanto."

Her brain told the rest of the story… "So from there, you asked around, and heard a fortune teller say Xatu made a grave fortune, a psychologist suggested going to Jhoto, and a Storekeeper who knew a bit more about me. I'll admit, that's quite a story."

*BEEBEEP, BEEBEEP*

My PDA went off, I took it out of my pocket and checked my inbox. It was a message from Kevin.

**DUDE!!**

**You won't believe what's happening! I was just watching TV, and there's a big inquiry about you on the news! That ability you got, it's happening everywhere! In fact, it's happened to me and Syrus, and it's SO AWESOME!! I can't wait till you get back, cuz I want to have a match against you, Supertrainer VS Supertrainer!**

**Kevin**

I looked up from the PDA, and Cynthia was gone. I briefly glanced around, and still nothing.

"That's interesting…" I said to myself. "A little unusual for a champion to disappear like that."

I figured that there was nothing left to do here… so I left and figured I'd do a team discussion with my partners back at the room.


	24. Chapter 23: Name's Riolu

Chapter 23: Name's Wiolu (Riolu)

_I was standing atop the Tower, I felt the Pendant's Warmth reverberating through the flesh and bones of my body. It was then that I just knew._

_I was going to meet Ho-oh._

_*Bu-Bump, Bu-Bump, Bu-Bump*_

_I wasn't sure if it was my own heart or Ho-oh's that I feel is beating, but I focused on the feeling, and it felt like some kind of warmth… like some kind of fire. This fire… it was unlike any fire I've ever seen, it felt like it had a gracefulness about it. Something about it just felt… I dunno… mystical or something. But despite my never feeling this before, I knew what it was._

"_Sacred Fire… This is the Sacred Fire." I said to myself_

"_**Yes… and it appears that you've become able to harness a part of it"**_

_I looked ahead and around… no one was there. But when I walked towards the inside of the tower, away from the balcony, My pendant glowed towards it._

_Ho-oh was perched on there. No flapping to mention it…him… coming, no forewarning ahead of time, he was just there._

_The "rainbow" Pokémon looked majestic when I looked from the head and the wings… but when I looked towards the belly and talons, I felt strangely reminded of a turkey on Thanksgiving. Granted, Ho-oh wasn't exactly my idea of a phoenix, but he's still a force to be reckoned with._

"_Ho-oh…" I said, not much to say in mind._

"_Unbelievable." Alakazam appeared out of nowhere… I looked around, and all of my Pokemon were next to me._

"_**It's a pleasure to meet all of you."**_

_Blaziken and Marshtomp were in awe, Charizard and I were remaining neutral, and Alakazam was in that kind of mood that says "I'm looking at someone that demands respect."_

"_**Eric Claid."**_

_I locked eyes with Ho-oh, What I was intent on listening to… it felt important._

"_**Your first battle against the dark approaches… there is a chance that others' lives will be taken over by the dark, and you will know that it is not pleasant."**_

_I was silent… the thought of what happens to someone taken over… then I asked "Can they be brought back from the dark?"_

_I felt as though all eyes were on me. The expression from Ho-oh's eyes looked grave. __**"The Sacred Fire can dispel the shadow that locks the door to the heart… but the subject's shadow must be weakened before this is possible."**_

"_Sort of how trainers catch Pokemon, weakening them before throwing the Pokeball." Blaziken said. "Right?"_

_Ho-oh nodded, but only slightly._

_Then out of the blue, I remembered what Walter said before… "Have the Shadows been developing something? Something relating to new Shadow Pokemon…"_

"_**I'm afraid I cannot answer that one, young Claid."**_

_I was silent again._

_**There will come a time where you will have to fight your own darkness. While I may not be able to help you in that battle, it is important that you treasure your friends. Never stop believing in them, just like many others have shown you."**_

"_Huh?" Marshtomp didn't understand, and for some reason, I felt like I knew the answer, though I couldn't quite grasp it._

"_Soon… only so soon." I said. "and maybe I'll finally meet you face to face in the real world."_

_Ho-oh gave this look that made me think he was smiling. __**"Until then, stay strong, young human, and listen to your Pokemon brothers. You'll never know when the ability you learn from them will save your life and others'."**_

I opened my eyes.

I lay on the bed in my room, I sat up, and looked at the clock. "5:45 AM," it read.

I got out of bed, brain buzzing, and then I stopped.

*Rffrfrfrf*

I picked up one of the flashlights on the nightstand. Something was shuffling near my bag. I got up slowly, and crept near my bag.

I picked up a train of thought, one of a craving for a snack. I felt through the thoughts for a bit, and they seemed to have come through that of a youngster.

I grabbed the opening of the backpack, and then quickly opened that bag.

The Pokemon was blue with a black mask-like face, there were two things hanging from the sides of its head, and it was currently eating one of Marshtomp's Snacks that I keep in my pack, some Sweet and Sour Pokeblocks.

The Pokemon gulped what candy was in its mouth, then smacked me hard in the nose.

I clutched my nose with one hand and raised my other hand towards the door. Focusing my thoughts as if it were somehow second nature, I felt myself grabbing the handle, and with a flick of my hand, the door slammed shut and the Pokemon was trapped in my room. I got up from the floor, flicked on the lights, and then stood up to see the little thief.

The Pokemon was wide eyed, it's natural red eyes showed clear signs of fear. In fact, something about the little fellow was emanating "fear". It was definitely clear that this youngster was terrified.

"AHH, I'm sowwy, I'm sowwy, I-I-I…" the Pokemon stammered, "I was uh uh, I was, umm, I was stawving! I couldn't find something to eat. I'm so sowwy!"

"Hey, Calm down… I'm not mad." I said, trying to help the guy relax.

"I'm sowwy, I'm-… huh? You not mad?"

"Yeah, it's OK." I smiled at the Pokemon, trying to look nice to the little guy.

The Pokemon stared at me, and tilted his head. The emanation faded, and I went into my bag and grabbed a few more Pokéblocks from another Pocket. These were purely of sweet taste, and I held them out in offering.

"Here you go, you said you were hungry, right?"

The Pokemon walked slowly towards my outstretched hand. His brain still remained of caution, because he's been told not to trust strangers. He got to my hand, and quickly snatched the Pokéblocks and regained distance… he looked kinda cute, actually.

He looked at me, then at the candy… then at me again, before nibbling on the Pokeblock. Seconds later, he was munching on the candy with glee.

The happy look on his face felt contagious, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Tank you, mista." The Pokemon said.

"Your welcome." I said.

The Pokemon ate the last Pokéblock, and was smacking his lips, when I asked "So, what are you doing, wandering around this early."

"Umm," the Pokemon said with uncertainty… "I dunno, I just wake up in ta middle of ta night, with tis stwange dweam about tis Twainuh. I talked to Cyntia about it, and see said 'it might be sometin in…inpo…'" he seemed to have trouble with saying something.

"Important?" I supplied.

"Ya, tat's it, impowtant." The Pokemon said, still with a bit of trouble on saying "important."

"So, you stay with Miss Cynthia?" I asked, making sure that I know the youngster's Trainer.

"mmhm." The Pokemon murmured, nodding. "I'm actually welated wit hur Lucawio. He's my big bwudda, dough sometimes he don't undastand. Cyntia said I'm Puh-seikik."

"You mean 'Psychic'?"

"Ya. See tell me, tat I can hear tings tat others like me can't. But… I don't undastand what she means." The Pokemon frowned, his brain emanating guilt.

"Well, when someone says you're a psychic, you will have these neat…" I paused for a second, choosing my words carefully so he can understand. "tricks… yeah, you'll have these very cool tricks that a lot of others can't do."

"ohh? Wat kind of twicks?" the Pokemon asked.

"Like… you can hear people speaking, but their mouths don't move. You can hear what people are thinking."

The Pokemon tilted his head in curiosity.

_if you can learn how to use it from a Psychic Pokemon, you can do some neat stuff on it…_

The Pokemon was surprised, in an awestruck way. "Hey! You speak witout moving yur mouf!"

"Yep, what you heard was 'telepathy'." I said, grinning.

"Telepatey?"

"Yeah, it's like talking through here." I said, poking at my head. "Nobody else will know of what you're saying, unless you want them to hear you."

"Huh?" the Pokemon didn't understand.

"OK, you see me, right?"

His eyes went halfway closed, in that "Duh" kind of gesture.

"OK, now focus your thoughts on me, pretend like you want to say something to me through… a letter. You know what those are, right?"

He nodded.

"Pretend your sending a letter to me, think up what you want to say, and imagine yourself sending that letter."

The pokemon closed his eyes. _Can you Heah me, mista?_ he said.

_Yep, there you go. This is speaking with your thoughts. Now you can talk to someone without moving your mouth, though I prefer it only for something… private, you know?_

"Wow, tis is cool!" The Pokemon said. "I can't wait to tell big bwudda about it."

*Bon Bon Bon*

It was right then that I remembered that I closed the door. I got up and pressed my ear against it.

"Who is it?"

"Cynthia sent me to find a lost Pokemon." The voice was male, and I didn't like it either. Plus, from the many television shows I've seen, what he said was labeled suspicious in neon spades.

"What does this Pokemon look like?" I asked.

"He's t—" I hushed the Pokemon with a Psychic hold on his mouth.

"What does this Pokemon look like?"

"He's uhh… got a blue with a black mask like face, doglike, and bipedal."

I looked at the Pokemon, he knows what he's looking for.

"Does this Pokemon have a name?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's named Riolu."

That name rung a bell. "Riolu, as in Evolves into Lucario? That Riolu?"

"Yeah, we think he's hanging out with you."

Hold the phone… _We?_

"Ah… No, sorry, I haven't seen any Pokemon like that."

"Mrhh??" Riolu tried to speak… then, _Tese people are looking for me, tey'll take me back to Cyntia._

"Alright, if you see him, let us know, we'll be sure to bring him back." I waited a few moments as the footsteps faded.

I released the psychic hold on Riolu's mouth.

"Wat was tat--!?" Riolu snapped, but stopped when I made the gesture to keep quiet.

I paused, making sure there weren't any footsteps nearby.

_OK, I'm probably sure that your big brother Lucario wouldn't have expected something like this. Usually when someone's lost, the good person will look for them themself. Bad people will use this to their favor, they will say that the good person asked them to get them, but what he does afterwards… you don't want to know._

Riolu thought it over, and when his eyes widened, so did the realization of what I said.

_So, you're saying tat the person at ta door was bad?_ Riolu asked.

_Yes. Here's the deal, I'll help you find your brother and Cynthia. If there's anything you need, I'll get it for you. But please, don't ask for too much._

Riolu beamed. _OK!_

I nodded with a "hm."

*BUM BUM BUM*

"Eric Claid!" A Voice shouted. "Open up!"

"Who is this?!" I demanded.

"Hey, tat's big bwudda!" Riolu said.

*BOOM*

The door flew open, sending me into a wall with an "OOF!"

"You, you better not have done anything to him, or so help me…" Lucario wasn't happy, and the glance in his brain said he was worried about Riolu.

"Lucario, cool it."

Cynthia walked to the doorframe, and I regained my wind and got up.

"Hey, tat's not nice, Lucawio!" Riolu shouted.

"Eric, I'm sorry about that." Cynthia apologized, in regards for Lucario.

"It's OK, I wasn't sure who it was until Riolu spoke up about it. For all I knew, it could have been one of those men."

"hm? Someone else was looking for him?" Cynthia asked.

I nodded. "They tried the classic 'So-and-so sent me to find him' routine. I guess being a couch potato isn't a bad thing."

"I see…" Apparently, she was thinking I was a nerd at the moment.

"Anyways, I'm guessing Riolu better go with his brother." I said, "I'd better get some more rest, I need to be at my best for the tournament."

"Alright." She acknowledged.

"Come on, Riolu." Lucario said,

Riolu took Lucario's paw, and looked at me. "Bye, Ewic."

I smiled. _We'll see each other again, so it's not good bye, it's "see you later."_

Riolu's expression displayed a merry cheer to it. _OK, See you latur!_

He walked off with his brother and Cynthia. Once they turned the corner, I turned around and went back to sleep.


	25. Chapter 24: Tournament! VS Round 1!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This will be my first time of posting an entire battle in full detail. Opinions and reviews of this chapter are greatly appreciated!

Chapter 24: Tournament! VS Round 1!!

I woke up at 7:28AM, only about a couple of hours later in the morning. I picked up my PDA, and it turns out I had a mail in my inbox, but it was from an hour ago.

The mail read:

**Mr. Felix Phoenix,**

**The Tournament has now begun, your match in round one will begin on 7:35AM. We hope to see you at the battle arena where the swimming pool was formerly located.**

**S.S. Tidal Captain Briney**

I looked at the scheduled time of my match, and then I looked at the time. 7:30AM

I fell back into bed. "Meh," I grumbled. "I've got plenty of time, just a few mi—"

Then it occurred to me what time my match was… 7:35AM. I looked back at the digital clock… 7:31AM.

"NOOOOOO!!" I howled, wrestling the covers and falling off the bed. "I'm gonna be late! THAT WON'T HAPPEN!!

I got my stuff on, I checked the time. 7:33, SHIT!!

I got the Pokéball Transfer Module (which I will now call it the PTM), two Hyper potions and one Full Restore, and my belt. The instant my belt clicked on, I opened the door, locked it, and then began booking it over to the Arena.

"And Representing the blue Corner, it's Felix… Phoeniiix!!"

I made it, I felt like I ran at lightspeed, and I was out of breath, but I made it.

The Pool was gone, as expected. In it's place, was the standard battlefield for official Pokémon Battles. Rectangular area, Pokéball sketch in the middle, same thing back at home.

The Opponent was an ordinary "ace" Trainer, battling for the money. His thoughts said that he won't lose to a kid who probably doesn't know how to get technical with a battle.

_Heh, he doesn't know what this "kid" can do._ I thought, brimming with confidence.

The Referee was in the usual uniform of a white shirt and green pants, which told me this was definitely professional. The Opponent lifted his first Pokéball from his pocket, and just tossed it up and catching it in a small juggle. I grabbed Marshtomp's Pokéball and spun it on my middle finger for a couple seconds before letting it fall into my hand.

"Let's Fight. Let's Win, Gallade!" The Opponent said, throwing his Pokéball in an underhanded toss.

Gallade definitely reflected that of the gentalman in him. The Pokémon was made similar to the Pokémon Gardevior. The face was mostly shaded by the front of what people describe as green hair, with a red sickle like spike in the center back of his head. What makes the two Pokémon different, is that Gardevior will be VERY thin, and it will have a lower body resembling that of a dress, despite there being male AND female Gardeviors. Gallade, being purely male, will have sturdier body structure all over so he can handle close quarters combat.

The arms are thin, but the elbows can be extended out in the event that Gallade plans to fight up close for extended periods of time. The lower body from the waist down was all white. The feet set up to give him extra footing.

I threw Marshtomp's Pokéball, and the Battle was now on Standby, waiting for the referee to signal the beginning.

_Marshtomp._ I said telepathically.

Marshtomp looked back at me.

_OK, now that I've gotten the hang of this thought speak thing, I'll use this to give details on what I'm thinking. Otherwise, pay attention for when I issue commands the old fashioned way._ I nodded, as if this were predetermined. Marshtomp nodded back, indicating that he got it.

The Referee quickly raised his arms, each hand holding a flag, and declared "Begin!" for the Battle to commence. Marshtomp and Gallade stood poised for a fight… but the Opponent didn't move.

I waited for a good fifteen seconds… then it occurred to me that he was waiting for me to make a move.

"Marshtomp, open the battle with Hydro Pump!" I declared, giving him his way of making the first move. Marshtomp took a deep breath, then blasted an unreal amount of water at Gallade.

Without moving much, Gallade psychically blocked the water, and grew it into a ball.

Just as the ball grew large enough to fit two of Gallade, Marshtomp stopped, and went "Aww" in irritation.

I tried to figure out what was up… something in my mind was full of alarms blazing. Just then, the Opponent smiled with a rise in confidence.

Just then, Gallade's eyes changed direction, a small peek said that he was communicating, until I lost the signal, until he blocked me.

Gallade's eyes turned back to Marshtomp, then the giant ball of water, once huge, then just broke into many smaller spheres.

Just when I had a funny feeling of being analyzed, I heard someone say… _Look familiar, kid?_

…I looked at the mess of water bubbles, they did look familiar.

"Marshtomp, stay put… something's not right about this." I said, trying to remember where I saw that before.

"Hey! That's that one trick you and Alakazam did to the Pizza guy's Wartortle!" Marshtomp said.

Marshtomp was right… I remember now! I pulled that same trick with Alakazam against that Pizza dude's Wartortle.

_Wait a minute, how does HE know that?_ I looked at the Opponent. He smirked, and then I had that feeling again.

I shoved the feeling aside, trying to remember what I did when I pull that trick. [I] let's see, I remember back when I did it, I threw a few of the water bubbles at the enemy in an attempt to provoke them… then when they tried to go through, they rotated.[I]

Just as the thought was coming back to me, I got a splash close to my legs. The water bubble was being launched at Marshtomp and me.

"What the—" I uttered, slightly confused. How'd he know to do that?

I felt that feeling for a while, then I looked at Gallade, and HE was looking at ME.

Then it hit me. "Hey! That's not cool, reading the minds of the opposing trainer!"

_Hmph, Now that you realized it,_ Gallade said mentally. _Can you stop Marshtomp from charging?_

_Oh shit…!_ I found Marshtomp was growing irritated with the lack of orders.

"Marshtomp! Stand your ground and keep your distance!" I commanded.

"What!" Marshtomp shouted in retort, "But this guy doesn't know how you did it, I can take him!"

"Think like me now, Marshtomp. What would I do?"

"How should I—"

"THINK!!" I yelled

"_think" as in what I'm doing now._

Marshtomp was quiet… then he gasped.

"OOOH, I get it!" sure enough, he did… he found out through my hints that Gallade was reading my mind, and that if I want to win this, I need to find out how to block him and to play this battle out carefully.

I thought it out for a minute… then I remembered this lesson I learned while at the club of Kindness… "if someone's reading you, play a bit hypocritical."

Gallade figured out my realization that he was mimicking my strategy, and it was another standoff. I thought of Marshtomp's moveset… I taught him how to use Ice Beam When I was at Cinnabar Island, he naturally knows Hydro Pump, he learned Focus Punch in the Saffron Dojo… and then I taught him Earthquake, but that could be dangerous here.

I looked at the water, if I could build it… then he'd have a tougher time maintaining it. The plan formed quickly, but I focused on the first part mentally.

_Like a game of poker, the expression explains everything._

"Marshtomp, Give them the strongest Hydro Pump you got!" I shouted, along with the mental message: _Mind game Madness, remember your signals!_

The Mind game Madness gimmick is easy to make, develop signals for your Pokémon's attacks, and your Pokémon follows the signs instead of what's spoken. The four signals for Marshtomp, were a Thumbs up for Hydro Pump, a thumbs down for Ice Beam, an air punch forward for Focus Punch, and a drop of my fist for Earthquake.

Marshtomp fired the Cannon blast of water. In reaction, Gallade used a psychic power, and the water built, as figured.

_Dammit, if this guy can read my thoughts, how can I get back at him?_ I thought in false hopelessness.

The opponent grinned in confidence. It was perfectly clear that he believed to be in control.

"Keep Firing Hydro Pump, increase the weight tenfold!" I commanded, pushing the thought of what I said in the forefront, but instead pointed my thumb down, signaling Ice Beam.

The Water stopped rushing, and seconds later, a Blue thunderbolt of ice-cold energy flashed out in front of Marshtomp's open mouth. The Opponent found his tactics to backfire, and he knew he was cornered. Either drop the water, and let Gallade get frozen… or hold the water, and deal with an increase of weight.

The Water froze instantly when the Ice Beam hit. Gallade Began to Grit its Teeth as the giant water bubble began to freeze. Once the bubble was frozen, it dropped onto the floor, where it occurred to me that my counterstrategy could backfire FAST!

***BOOOMMPHHHHH***

The floor shook madly as the giant ice orb landed. The entire BOAT most likely felt that shockwave, I had to solve this problem before Gallade--…

The ice ball began to roll towards Marshtomp and I, where I said with stunned realization, "oh shit…! OHHHH SHIIIIIIIT!!"

Gallade began rolling the giant over our way. The response to this was literally "Dead" obvious.

"MOOOOOVEE!!!" I shrieked stating the obvious.

"GYAAAAAAH, DON'T FLATTEN MEEEE!!" Marshtomp agreed, diving to the left towards the crowd.

Just as the giant was rolling my way, it changed course in pursuit.

"MARSHTOOOMP!!" I shrieked again, panic running high in worry for Marshtomp's well being.

"HAAAAYAYAYAYAYA!!" to the right of the giant, Marshtomp was scrambling out of the way. "How can we break that thing!?"

My panic vanished. "Break…" the thought was good, but I had no idea how Marshtomp could pull off something like that.

_Time to experiment. _I thought, hidden from Gallade.

"Marshtomp, Try a Focus Punch!" I commanded.

"ARE YOU HIGH!?" Someone yelled from the crowd. "How can a SHRIMP break that!? He'd have to be the strongest in the WORLD to bust that thing!"

Marshtomp jumped on top of the giant, and threw a supercharged punch at the thing…… and it only just sank in the thick ball of ice.

"Mrrg, AHH, I'm stuck!" he tried to pull his arm out, but sure enough, it was jammed in there., partially because a bit of the ice was moved towards him in an effort to hold him there.

"Hydro Pump!!" He fired the blast, and rocketed backwards into the wall.

He landed on his feet, but was growing tired, from the blasting water, to the running for his life… "I have to end this round." I said to myself, "but…" then I thought back.

"_he'd have to be the strongest in the WORLD to bust that thing!"_

What could the strongest in the world do. They could break tough things, they could knock people out quick, they could shake the earth… Wait! That's it!

"Marshtomp, Listen up." I said as he was walking past me.

"Dude…" Marshtomp panted, "How the in world… can we break that thing?"

"Shake the world." I said, smiling.

"Huh?"

"Get up there and use Earthquake. It's a long shot, but that thing's thick enough, so it's worth a try."

"Hey, that sounds cool!" Marshtomp said, "Let me know when."

I nodded. Marshtomp got back in the battlefield, and the opponent was getting antsy.

"I got a tourney to win, and your chicken games are getting dull." The opponent declared, "You're done, anyways, so give it up, kid!"

"You think, you can win, man? Well be my guest!" I shouted back.

"You know what to do, Gallade, End this, NOW!!"

The giant began the rollout towards us, Marshtomp got ready.

"Marshtomp, One last Hydro Pump, Get on top of that thing!"

The crowd was beginning to panic, Hydro Pump blasted at the Ground, and Marshtomp rocketed upwards, the ball moved. I focused on the ball and kept it still. I felt Gallade's surprise get the better of him, and his focus wavered, giving me better control for long enough to let Marshtomp land.

Gallade gave a sudden shove of force, knocking me off balance, and causing me to lose control of the giant. I didn't fight back, because this was it!

"NOW MARSHTOMP, NOOOWWWW!!" I screeched, throwing my fist down as if it was going to come off my wrist and explode.

Marshtomp raised both his arms over his head, and with one fell sweep, slammed down on the giant. The shockwave from Earthquake caused it to stop in its tracks. It echoed from Marshtomp, to the opposite side, then back up to him… then nothing.

The entire place fell under a dead silence. I couldn't breathe out of tension. Neither did Gallade or the opponent, and hell, not even the crowd was speaking.

A few seconds went by. Marshtomp slowly got up, another pause, then "Umm, what was s'posed to happen—"

***BAAASHLTETETET***

Marshtomp was about to say "next" until the giant exploded everywhere, launching him upwards. Chunks of ice were hurtling everywhere, and some were as big as basketballs.

Despite my not being as close to the blast as the opponents, there wasn't enough time to move. Instinctively, I braced myself for an instant barrage of attacks, and used the move Barrier. Impacts from the ice blocks slammed my shield like a giant shotgun. I kept my shield up, but I lowered my wrists to get a glance at what happened to everyone. Gallade was out cold, his trainer was unharmed, but shaken. The referee was staggering to his feet, still winded with the instant explosion of ice. I looked at where the giant was, and Marshtomp was lying facedown. He wasn't moving.

"Marshtomp!" I cried, scared for his sake. I released the shield and ran to him.

"Bo-Both Pokémon are unable to Battle, this round is a draw!" The shaken up referee declared, then turning towards Marshtomp.

I lifted Marshtomp, he was limp in my arms. My fear rose, "No no no…! C'mon, Marshtomp, c'mon…"

I hugged Marshtomp… Praying in my mind that he'd be OK… _Please, I don't wanna lose a friend….. please… I..I—_

I felt something lodge in my throat, this can't be happening, this can't be happening. I felt a warmth in my chest, near where my pendant was, the lodge was close to going through. _no… it can't be him. He can't be—_

"Ug. Gack…"

I heard a sputter coming from Marshtomp. He came to, coughing. I hugged him hard, relief washing over me through breaths that shown I was close to crying.

"Hey, did we… win?" Marshtomp said, fatigue overwhelming him.

I smiled. "Not yet, buddy. But we'll do it, we'll all win as a team."

Just as I finished, I heard Marshtomp snoring. I kept smiling, because this took a little more than he could handle, so it was natural he'd fall asleep.

"Yeah! That was awesome, kid!"

"Small hesitation, then BOOOOOM!!"

The crowd was crazy, everyone must have felt that explosion, and the excitement went nuts. I set Marshtomp down on the bench near the entrance instead of returning him to his Pokéball, so he could watch the rest of the match when he wakes up.. The Opponent recalled his Gallade, still a bit shaken that I would pull off a stunt like that, and find Marshtomp still alive.

Without saying another word, he threw his Pokéball… and the birdlike Pokémon was a large, round bird with a hat whose large edge visor can shade it's face and more.

Honchcrow flicked its hat up in a smug fashion. I grabbed Alakazam's Pokéball, but stopped before taking it out. I remembered that Honchcrow was not only a Flying type, but also the shady Dark types that are known to be ineffective by Psychic and Ghost type Pokémon. I let go of Alakazam's Pokéball, and instead grabbed Charizard's instead.

I tossed the Pokéball upwards, and Charizard stood on the arena at the ready.

"Begin!" The Referee shouted.

"Honchcrow, take flight!" the Opponent directed.

"Charizard, remain grounded."

"What?" Charizard slightly turned his head to the left, enough to spot his eyes looking at me.

"Lightweight against a heavyweight, who can control more wind?"

Charizard smirked, "ahh, I got it. Another sneaky one by Claid."

"HOY, ye' going to dawdle all day?" Honchcrow taunted, "Have at ye'!"

"Stir things up, Charizard." I said, pointing thumbs up for Gust. Charizard opened his wings, and began pushing them forward in the air. The wind was crazy in seconds, and while Honchcrow was knocked off balance for a few seconds, it regained posture quickly.

"Night Shade!" Honchcrow declared before an odd shadow appeared behind Charizard.

"Charizard, FREEZE!!"

Charizard's wings stopped pushing, and froze in place. I noticed him wince as the Night Shade struck. I remember being hit with it once. Night Shade is one of those attacks that hit harder on stronger opponents, as it takes the strength of the target's movements, and turns it all into pain. Only by standing perfectly still will the pain be the closest to ineffective. I checked Charizard's head.

_Phew, Close one, I hear Night Shade can really hurt, though I don't think now's a time to find out._

"Honchcrow, Get 'im!" the opponent commanded. "Wing Attaaackl!"

Honchcrow charged. My eyes became lines of disappointment. _Seriously, didn't the dude think I would see this coming?_ I thought to myself, then at Charizard. _Time to punish these punks for reckless stupidity, Charizard, blast Honchcrow up close with Hyper Beam!_

"Now it's OUR turn!"

Honchcrow continued to dive towards Charizard. Charizard's mouth began to glow as he was charging the attack with his jaw closed. The rest happened fast, Honchcrow got close to ready the Wing attack, then Charizard opened his maw to his blast attack. Last thing that happened was Honchcrow squawking, before it got slammed in the front by Hyper Beam. The attack pushed Honchcrow to the opposite wall before exploding. The Opponent was horrified, but the thoughts going through Honchcrow told me that he'll be fine.

"Honchcrow is unable to battle, the winner is Charizard!" the Referee declared.

The Crowd was talking for a bit, some of the random strains were wondering if Gallade was the strongest and was intended to sweep through my team, a few thought I had this in the bag, with Charizard and one other remaining Pokémon.

The opponent was pissed, and not just from the throbbing vein.

"I'm starting to get REAL tired of you, you little piece of shit!" the Opponent swore. "You want to play fucking hardball, I'LL HUMILIATE YOUR NEXT POKÉMON!!"

I knew better than to take it to heart, but I made my point very clear. "That coming from someone who lost two Pokémon from near disastrous situations. If there's anyone you need to be angry with: It's your own jackassed self!"

"GRRRAAAAAHH!!" he roared, before slamming the Pokéball with his last Pokémon on the ground.

The Pokémon that came out was apparently a Bug type, small, face looks like it was some kind of mask, and two small claws. With the sandy brown color, it would easily blend in the wild.

I grabbed Blaziken's Pokéball, Bug Pokémon will cause Psychics to lose focus fast, and when swarms are around, Psychic are easy to overwhelm. Alakazam was going to have to bench this battle for now.

I summoned Blaziken to the arena. Ninjask was buzzing around, observing what Blaziken looked like. Glances at its thoughts revealed that, surprise, Ninjask is FEMALE. Despite being female, the thoughts felt strangely like a computer.

_Enemy identified as Blaziken. Fire and Fighting type Pokémon. Advantages against said enemy: speed, accuracy, flight, size, and enemy's lack of secret weapon. Disadvantages against enemy: Vulnerable to fire type attacks, superior in strength, Fire attacks are more widespread._

"Whoa." I shook my senses as I left Ninjask's mind. The entire thought chain was focused on Blaziken. It literally was like looking at a computer, that's a damn scary thing to come from someone that ISN'T the man-made Porygon.

_A'right, Blaziken, listen up._ I said mentally, _This girl's most likely going to irritate you, try to cause you to screw up. Try to be patient on this one, and don't fight with your fists or feet._

Blaziken turned his head slightly to his right and nodded. Ninjask began bussing here and there… apparently waiting for the signal to fight. Speaking of which…

"Begin!" The Referee declared for the third time, his thoughts were curious about what crazy idea I had next.

"Get'im!" The Opponent shouted. Blaziken braced himself, getting ready to block an attack, wherever it's aimed. Ninjask shot out like a blur in the battlefield, I hardly managed to keep up with it, but when I expected an onslaught…

She just stopped, right in front of Blaziken's face.

My breath felt like it was stuck or something. Both Blaziken and I were stiff, with only our eyes staring at Ninjask, who was buzzing around up close.

Ninjask began looking at me. I felt uncomfortable at the look during a battle, so I looked again in the mind.

_Trainer identified. Eric Claid, alias Felix Phoenix, history in Team Rocket of Kanto, currently on leave and investigation. Target has been found, however, the situation calls for masking of attacks. Secret weapon disengaged temporarily. Rumor of Ho-oh's essence, unknown._

I left the mind of the practically mechanical Pokémon… _That Pokémon knows too much. How does she know me?_

"What are you Doing!? Open up with Gust!" the opponent said impatiently

"Gust?" I was confused. Never have I ever seen a Ninjask, with ordinarily small wings, pull off a Gust attack. In fact, I'll be damned if that actually were the case, a small Bug Pokémon unlike Butterfree or Beautifly able to pull off Gust.

Ninjask, whom registered the command instantly, began zipping in a circle. As the spinning got faster, I began feeling a breeze blowing. The Breeze grew stronger, and stronger, and stronger still!

"No way!" I shouted over the Gust that Ninjask was SOMEHOW causing.

Blaziken stood his ground, he was blocking his face from the debris that was flying at him, but he stood his ground. Not long later, the gust was dissipating from my feet, and rising. I looked past my wrists and found that instead of disappearing, it was being diverted in a different direction. I looked onward at what is now seen as the move Twister, I looked down, and Ninjask was moving so fast I could even see much but a sandy brown and green blur.

The Opponent screamed something to Ninjask, but I couldn't make out what he said due to the wind. I looked back at not one, not two, but FOUR Ninjasks making the Tornado faster.

_What in the--!?_

"Blaziken! Get ready!" I shouted.

Ninjask, in only a few seconds, rushed up in front and passed through Blaziken multiple times. Instantly, red and white lines slashed all over Blaziken, causing his legs to buckle.

"Hey, hang in there!" I shouted, thought I realized after that he couldn't hear me.

Ninjask slashed at Blaziken's legs and feet. He was lifted into the tornado where I could barely see him as Ninjask tackled him towards the center of the wind.

The opponent had screamed something else at Ninjask, but again, I couldn't make it out.

I looked at the whirlwind, Ninjask and the three copies began to slash at Blaziken, bursts of fire were reverberating in spots all over the whirlwind. A couple of the Ninjasks were stopping for a split second when the flames hit them. Then Blaziken shot at the bottom of the whirlwind and for a small burst, the fire traveled up the twister, in a fiery echo. That gave me an idea.

"BLAZIKEEEN!!!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs, no response, the Slashing continued.

_Hey! You still awake?_ I shouted in thought speak.

I read his mind to get the response. _Urg… I can't take any more of these X-Scissors, you got a plan?_

I looked at the bottom of the whirlwind. _Yeah, I do. Loose a Flamethrower at the bottom of the whirlwind. It should stun the couple of Ninjasks that seem to be attacking you._

"_Ninjasks?!_ Blaziken exclaimed. _There are more?_

_Only one way to find out. Use Flamethrower at the base of the wind!_

After a couple seconds of trying to get a shot, Flamethrower was shot down at the base of the twister. As soon as it hit the bottom, the entire vortex turned fiery… the extra Ninjasks disappeared instantly, and in their places were three small gray dolls. Just those dolls alone explained what happened.

_Substitute… and that's three of them._ I thought. _then if I can land a hit…_ Just then, I spotted a red and lime green flash. Upon recognizing it, I reacted accordingly.

_SIGNAL BEAM!! Flip over and use Flamethrower in the opposite direction!_

Signal Beam did the first couple of criss-crosses before it's launch, then…

***BWOOOMMPHHHH***

The Vortex exploded from the inside out, I shielded my eyes from the instant heat wave and from the rushing smoke. Now I was concerned with Blaziken's safety.

"Blaziken!" I shouted through the clearing smoke. "Blazikeeen!

The smoke was cleared, Blaziken was lying face up on the ground, panting. He rolled over, shaking, and struggled to get back on his feet.

"Come on, man." I pleaded, "Hang in there."

He got to his feet, but was still very wobbly. Ninjask floated down, but was occasionally twitching in the air.

She arrived in front of Blaziken and I. My worry was running high for Blaziken.

"Ngh… You…" Ninjask buzzed. "You are… ngh, stronger than anticipated, boy."

I looked at Ninjask square in the eye.

"Unexpected… Error… from intended final strike. Mission… failed."

Just like that, Ninjask dropped to the floor.

"Ninjask is unable to battle, the victory goes to Blaziken and Felix Phoenix!" the Referee shouted.

The Crowd went crazy, I was thrilled, Blaziken fell down on his backside. I looked behind me, and Marshtomp was still fast asleep. I smiled, perhaps amused at the fact that Marshtomp somehow slept through that entire battle.

I walked over to Blaziken and helped him stand. "I'll bet Charizard wished he had a tougher opponent. Even more so, Alakazam will wish he was involved.

"heh, at least we won, right?" Blaziken panted.

"Yep! One step closer to getting stronger together, right?"

"Dude, I know about you and Leeroy, you can't fool me."

I paused.

"Don't think you're the only one who wants payback." Blaziken smirked, mostly with his eyes.

"Well, in the meantime, I'll let you rest in your Pokéball." I assured Blaziken, resting my hand on his shoulder. "Marshtomp would want a shoulder ride back to the lobby. But for now, I think we did some good work today."

I recalled Blaziken. Marshtomp was just waking up, but it was certain I read his mind when he raised his arms. I crouched down, and he clung his arms around my neck, and hung on.

"See? I told you I'd win this." I smiled at Marshtomp.

"I'm hungry." Marshtomp mumbled, "Can we eat?"

"That is a good question. Maybe we can stop by the buffet while we wait for the next round."

Marshtomp began to drool on my shoulder when I mentioned the buffet. "I'll get first dibs on the food."

"Hmhmhm, alright." My smile grew bigger. "I'll be sure to let you have first dibs, but could you stop drooling?"

Marshtomp didn't hear me. I put a mental bowl in front of his mouth, and left the arena.


	26. Chapter 25: Headline News

NOTE: this is referencing the fanfiction done by SynctrainerLucas. For those who read his fanfic, you'll notice how.

Chapter 25: Headline News

I arrived at the buffet so I could get breakfast taken care of. I sent out Blaziken and Alakazam immediately, I then asked the man in charge for permission to send out Charizard, and managed to get him some grub.

Some of the main courses were replaced to fit the time of day, such as the steaks yesterday were replaced by giant waffles. Teriyaki chicken was replaced with sausage patties, but the Egg rolls remained the same. Aside from that, there was rice, hash browns, Eggs of all kinds, bacon and toast.

I managed to get about five plates of Sausage patties, Egg Rolls, and a waffle for Charizard; Blaziken got Sausage Patties and an Egg Roll, Marshtomp got first pick of two eggs over-easy on a piece of toast, an egg roll, and some patties; Alakazam had nothing more than three egg rolls with rice, and I found the ingredients for a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich along with rice. As for drinks, we all got Orange juice, nothing new.

"Y'know, that Honchcrow was pathetic." Charizard commented, "Marsh boy looks wiped, and Blaziken seems to be aching. What's the deal, Eric, you givin' me wimps now?"

"Mmm-mm", I shook my head, I swallowed the bit of sandwich in my mouth. "It's not that, really… the guy just got reckless with his orders. If it were me, I would have commanded a Night Shade AND a Wing Attack combo. That way, the opponent will be hurting either way, either from Night Shade by moving, or a direct Wing Attack up front."

Blaziken swallowed what was in his mouth. "Still, that Ninjask was something else." He commented. "I've never really seen a Ninjask use Gust before. I mean, sure they can fly… but with wings that tiny, I want to know how that girl did that."

Charizard snickered. "You fought against a FEMALE Ninjask? For SHAAAME!" He began laughing; Marshtomp looked at Blaziken quietly, whereas Blaziken himself was glaring.

"HA hahahaha, Blaziken couldn't stand up to a GIRL!" Charizard teased, intentionally trying to set him off, "and to make matters worse, she was a BUG!! Shame on you, Blaziken, you should have taken that wimp of a—"

*Boom!*

Blaziken banged his hands on the table and shot up to his feet. "Shut up, you overgrown lizard, or do I have to make you!" Blaziken snapped.

"ooh, I'm soo scared, Go on, Bring it!" Charizard challenged, chiseling down the last of Blaziken's tolerance.

He began to take a swing at Charizard, who was well within range. When I stopped him with a psychic hold from my right hand, Charizard laughed some more. Aggravated at how they both killed my good mood, I muzzled him with the same hold from my left hand.

I made Charizard look me in the eye. "You will learn to restrain yourself when you do stuff like that. Blaziken's opponent was tough enough for him to justify having a hard time with winning, Same as Marshtomp. Just because Ninjask was female doesn't mean it's weak."

Charizard rolled his eyes, and then I smirked.

"Besides, what would you think of a Ninjask that caused a Gust attack able to lift Blaziken in the air?"

Charizard stared at me in disbelief. I just nodded. Blaziken relaxed his hand, as did my restraint on it, and began stuffing as much food in his beak-like mouth as possible. Marshtomp stared at him, and his mouth was struggling to resist laughing. Alakazam was just finished with his food, and was meditating.

I released Charizard's mouth from the psychic grip, and he continued to gobble up his amount of food. Marshtomp was able to maintain a straight face again, though I found it strange that he was quiet during breakfast. I shrugged it off, thinking it was probably the match and finished off my serving before getting another glass of OJ.

After Breakfast, I explained back in the lobby what was going on with Gallade to Alakazam. I began wondering if reading minds is able to go further than just hearing voices out in the open. I asked him, and his thoughts expressed caution.

"If you can feel that you're being analyzed, then you are…" Alakazam said. "Gallade was trying to read you, but depending on how loudly you portray the forethought will decide how easily it will hide what you really think."

"Hmm?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"ugh." Alakazam pinched in between his eyes in a gesture of frustration. "OK, I'm going to give you a question, and I want you to read my mind to find out."

I nodded, despite my caution.

"Now, what helps to trump the untrumpable in a Battle?"

I looked into the mind… and the first thing I heard was: _nothing._

"now, what's your first answer?"

"I assume that 'nothing' is the wrong answer?"

Alakazam nodded. "You assume correctly. Now focus on that thought as you're reading me… and tell me what you hear now."

"uhh, OK?" I said, puzzled.

I took another look into Alakazam's mind; the same thought was being projected. _nothing…nothing…nothing…nothing_

Somewhere in the back of my mind, it began to echo, and I felt like I needed to repeat it… _nothing…nothing…nothing…noth—_

_--orsi…ight…ors…_

I started hearing something else. Then it occurred to me, I WAS hearing something else, a different thought!

I continued mirroring the initial thought. I began to hear it more and more clearly now.

_foresig….orsight… foresight, foresight._

Foresight, isn't that a Pokemon move? I tried to think it over, and it took effort because I was still mirroring Alakazam's forethought. I gave up, and left his mind.

_Alright,_ I thought once I left his mind. _Foresight. I think that's what I was trying to find. Umm…_it occurred to me that I forgot the question. _damn. This mirroring crap messes with your head._

_Yeah, it does._ Alakazam commented, with a hint of humor in his tone.

_Hey! Who asked for comments from the peanut gallery??_ I demanded abruptly.

"Here's the more important part of mind reading." Alakazam lectured. "While anyone can form a forethought to distract someone from reading your true thoughts, those with stronger mental strength can break through that easily."

"Really, it can be easy? How?" I inquired.

"firstly, it's through mirroring a thought stream. When you mirror someone's thoughts with your own, you'll eventually hear a different thought instead. That thought will be the true one."

"Alright, and I managed to get that down. But is that the only way?"

Alakazam shook his head. "No, there's actually another way to read others. However, that method's only easier if your mental strength is healthy and strong."

"Healthy and strong mind? What's that supposed to—"

"Umm, Excuse me, who might you be talking to?"

I looked from Alakazam to someone standing in front of me, the girl looked like she was wearing some kind of white robe, with purple hair and two ponytails, one on each side.

"My…Pokemon, of course." I paused while trying to say that without feeling awkward.

_this girl's a psychic._ Alakazam said. _If you get that feeling, then focus your psychic ability, but don't use it._

The girl took a closer look at my face, the almost glazed expression felt eerie. As if right on cue, I got that analysis feeling, and I focused a bit of power. Somehow, the analysis feeling was beginning to get stronger, and I focused more against it. I felt a different feeling now, like I was fending off some intruder trying to get in my head or something.

I focused just enough so that I began feeling a bit weird, then I felt a sharp sting in the front right of my head. The girl yelped, and lurched back, appearing a bit surprised.

"How did you--?" apparently she couldn't speak very easily after that. "How'd you block me?"

"Huh?" the sting in my head was brief, and it was gone as soon as it came. "Block you?"

_Yes, she tried to read your mind forcefully, and you fended her off._ Alakazam said in open thought.

"Oh."

"are you also a psychic?" the girl asked.

"Umm, sorta." I replied, a bit hesitant. "More like a psychic-in-training."

"Psychic in training, right. So who taught you, Sabrina?" She interrogated.

I stared blankly at her. _Sabrina? Isn't she an Ex-Rocket, now Saffron Gym Leader?_

"Helloooo. Who taught you?" she asked again.

I looked at Alakazam, and pointed my thumb at him in a sideways gesture. "He taught me, err, 'is teaching me.'"

The girl still didn't believe me. "You know, if you wanted to not tell me who taught you, I can understand."

Alakazam's eyes fell halfway. _Eric's right, young lady. I'm the one teaching him on his ability._

The girl was astonished. "You learn from your Alakazam? Hey, maybe my Kadabra could do the same!" she grabbed her Pokéball and opened it, A Kadabra appearing in front of her.

"Yes, what is it?" Kadabra said sleepily.

"Hey, can you teach me on being a Psychic?"

"Huh?" he looked at me and Alakazam. "You know what's wrong with Maiya? This isn't like her."

Maiya, huh? "She's astonished with how my partner's helping me with my mental ability and that she thinks you could do the same for her." I explained, dropping my eyes to line level when he tilted his head.

_you in the habit of telepathy?_ I asked Kadabra.

He flinched. _Not usually, why?_

"Maiya, was it?" I asked briefly.

"Hey! How'd you get my name?" Maiya blurted out, surprised again.

"Your Pokemon mentioned it, Speaking of which…" I rushed through the honest answer and pull down to the point. "Can you understand what pokemon say?"

"Whaa?" Maiya apparently didn't get everything. Kadabra, on the other hand, did.

"I knew you looked familiar. All the wild Pokemon were talking about it." He said.

I stared at Kadabra, Alakazam sighed, and heck so did I.

_We both know what happens next._ I grumbled

_uh-huh, and it's getting a bit worn out._ Alakazam agreed.

"Talking about what?" I said, rolling my eyes.

I felt my mind being looked at, but this time I didn't care.

"oh… I guess I'm not the only trained partner that heard." Kadabra commented.

"Yeah, and as you already know, it's getting a bit worn out. In fact, that's actually why I'm here on this boat. Because I'm going to find me answers about—"

"Ho-oh!?"

Another voice cried out from behind me. I looked back, and a guy with similar clothing and hair color as the girl was standing behind me and was apparently gawking at me. "You're the boy my Xatu talked about?"

Alright, NOW he has my attention. "Wha?"

"My Xatu." He said. "The one helping my grandma at the fortune telling place in Viridian City?"

I gave it a second… Xatu, Fortune. Oh, now I remember.

"Oh. That Xatu that wanted to see my 'ability'?" I asked

"That's what he called it? He showed me what happened, and it almost looked like some seriously good styling in a few seconds. Oh snap, where are my manners, My name's Tye."

I rolled my eyes. I was still ready to answer Kadabra's question, though it didn't come.

I decided to turn on the television. The news was on, and it was a special report. Usually, the news would bore me to death, but the minute I saw the headline, "Shadow Pokémon Return," I turned up the volume instead.

"The Pokémon world we all know and love might be at risk of a large danger to society. We have recently received reports of attacks all over the world involving Illegal forms of Pokémon, known to all as 'Shadow Pokémon'. These pokémon, for those who don't know, are artificially modified so that they do not express feelings or expression, and that they are used as walking battle machines."

I was silent at hearing the announcement. Shadow Pokémon were powerful, but in a moral point, it's not right to have them around. Pokemon that only live to fight should be have the choice to live that way. People who create abominations like that don't let them choose, not freely.

"Just Recently," the reporter continued. "Law enforcement Officer Jenny informed us of the threat in Sinnoh. Where there was an attack on a small group of Trainers by the group known as Team Galactic. The Trainers, whose names were not released in Jenny's report, managed to fend off the Galactics."

_Hah, Team Galactic, they give criminal teams a bad name._ I thought.

"Since that incident, Shadow pokemon are appearing all over the world. But what is more disturbing are what these new Shadow pokemon have been told to do. We warn you, that the pictures you are about to see are highly disturbing and not suitable for young trainers and Pokémon."

They gave a little pause before they displayed what I thought were the scariest pictures I've ever seen. Maiya gasped, Tye was frozen, Kadabra was speechless…

"oh…oh my god." Alakazam moaned.

There was a ruined cave on the display, with a pack of Houndours on their sides, the eyes were glazed over, and they weren't moving.

"R-Recent attacks from Shadow Pokémon was not only on random people, b-but on…" there was no doubt the reporter was just as horrified as we were was, though I have to admit of her able to remain professional. "But on W-wild pokémon. This footage shows a pack of Houndour, formerly watched over by Houndoom, d-deceased when the Houndoom returned. Authorities arrived when Houndoom was attacked, and thankfully, was able to be treated to full health. A Wandering 'supertrainer' managed to inform us that Houndoom has a message he wants to say, and that he'll supposedly translate what was said."

The camera turned over to Houndoom. He asked what was the thing looking at him, and the trainer told him that it helps get the message acrossed to the humans.

"Uhh, I dunno if you can really hear me…" Houndoom said faintly, the trainer truthfully translating everything that's said. "But whatever those evil Pokémon were, they were not truly Pokémon. The scent of those creatures were not real… they were not a real pokemon, but they are a fake. I hear from other pokemon that there is a human chosen for the sacred fire. I hope you hear me, Eric Claid. The Humans need someone to stop these monsters. We need help from these shadows."

The camera turned back to the reporter on scene. "Uh, excuse me sir, would you happen to know of this Eric Claid person?"

The Supertrainer was on camera now. "Actually, I'm not sure, and I'm not the only one who's been wondering who this dude is." He glanced at Houndoom. "Ever since we somehow gained these odd… 'powers,' I've been hearing things like that for weeks. Things about this 'one of the sacred fire' and this Eric Claid and how he's going to help the world. I'm starting to find it annoying. I mean, who is this gu—"

I turned off the TV, and I sat there still trying to absorb all that information…

"umm, Felix?" Maiya asked, I didn't answer.

I was silent. Never before have I found the questioning of who I am in public television… no, REGIONAL television. What's worse were the Houndours, dead because of Shadow Pokemon attacks. I checked the lineups of the tournament through a system in the TV. The last battle of round one was underway, and it seems to be almost over.

"Dunsparce is unable to battle, the victory goes to Leeroy and Mightyena!" The Referee declared on the monitor. I stood corrected, it IS over.

"Hey, you're that Phoenix guy, right?"

"hm?" I turned around, looking to see who it was. Turns out it was just a kid, perhaps no more than thirteen or so.

"You're Felix Phoenix, right?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I am. What's up?" I answered.

"I'll be your next opponent." He said, "you think we could let our Pokemon meet before the match?"

I only really thought it over for a second and figured [i]why not? He's only a kid.[/i]

"Alright, though first, what's your name?" I didn't peek to find out, since he's only a kid.

"I'm Joey, nice to meetcha." He stuck out his hand, and out of automatic courtesy, I shook it.

"So, how'd you do in round one?" I asked.

"I did OK, though your match was amazing! I've never seen attacks like that!" he then went on in an attempt to reenact my match. The gesture was cute, a kid trying to relive a battle like mine.

I picked out Blaziken's and Marshtomp's Pokeball, and I opened them. Joey summoned his Pokemon: a Venomoth, Ratata, and a Gengar.

Blaziken tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned towards him.

"Who's the kid?" he whispered.

"Our next opponent," I whispered back. "but he wanted to meet you guys before Round two begins."

"Soo, umm, what do you think of my Pokémon?" Joey said nervously.

I paused as I peeked into the minds of each Pokémon. Naturally, they knew who I was, but Ratata thought I was older than they said, Gengar didn't care much of my appearance. Venomoth… was strangely fuzzy in thought.

"Hmm… Well, it seems to me like you treat your Pokemon like your friends, which I find a good thing." I observed. "Ratata seems to be your newest member of the group, Venomoth doesn't seem to know you too well, and you knew Gengar since he was Ghastly."

Joey was astonished, which was no surprise to me, because I apparently blow people's minds on a daily basis.

"How'd you know that?" Joey said.

"Just from examining your pokemon, really." I replied. "Ratata looks like he's not used to the environment of being with a Trainer, nor does he seem to feel comfortable yet. Gengar seems the most relaxed when he's around, which says he's the one most used to being around you. Venomoth… I assume you got her in a trade, right?" I paused, to let Joey answer.

"Y-y-yeah…" Joey stuttered.

"Alright, Venomoth was probably used to a shady kind of Trainer, so she tends to keep quiet until it's time to fight. Seeing as how you're still growing, she's a little leery of you, so it's wise to take caution when wanting to get to know her."

Kadabra leered at me with suspicion in his expression. Maiya, on the other hand, was curious. "Hey, you think you could try that 'where you came from' thing with Kadabra and I?" she asked

"sure, I guess." I replied, and crouched down to examine Kadabra. "Hmmm…" Kadabra's physique appears normal, nothing new here; the expression in his attitude, cautious yet laidback. Familiarity with the trainer… patient.

"I assume… Kadabra's your Starter Pokemon when you set off from Saffron? He's still learning a bit more about you, though what he knows already shows you as a bit of the clueless type. Seeing as how you're also a psychic, he's able to keep his patience with getting to know you at his own pace as you learn to better your ability as a Trainer and as a friend."

"Huh… well color me intrigued. You're pretty accurate…Felix." Kadabra commented, impressed.

"WHOA!" Maiya gawked, "Where'd you learn to do that!?"

"I took a few courses in psychology, I hoped on becoming a professor, but I found it to be a bit boring." I fibbed. Actually, it was one of my first few undercover missions, and I had to act as an ingenious apprentice to a counselor. Before that act, I had to take a SERIOUS crash course in figuring out where the Pokemon came from. As a result, I was able to find out it's displayed attitude, it's appearance, and most importantly, how it behaves around it's Trainer from a few seconds' glance. Suffice it to say, I managed to memorize it all, and I actually it quite handy afterwards.

"you'd make quite a professor if you know that kind of stuff."

*BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP.*

I plucked my PDA from my pocket and opened my inbox. There was mail from Kevin, and it had an attachment, a Battle video reformatted to be viewed on the PDA itself.

"Shadow Rush!"

"H-hey, that's illegal!!"

"You think I care, Shadow Rush!"

The video was of a group of trainers Battling against some bunch of people who own Shadow Pokemon. The bunch with Shadow Pokemon turned out to be Team Galactic, and at the very end, a kid with a red beret was confronting the darker blue haired Admin. The Admin left, telling the kid (whom he called Lucas) that next time they meet, it won't be pretty.

The video ended, and I read the message.

**Eric,**

**Just a few seconds after I sent my penpal, RareHunterLucas, that video with you and Dusknoir, I received one from him with this video attached. I don't like the looks of this, man. Especially when every supertrainer in Kanto, along with the media, is going crazy in finding out who you are. I'm sure you got some false name set up, but still, stay on your toes, man.**

**Kevin.**

I stared at the attachment, and I was quiet. I quickly wrote up a response.

_**Kevin,**_

_**I got your mail, and I actually just saw a portrayal of what Shadow Pokemon were able to do. Something tells me this is something the Boss will most likely not pass up if it's offered.**_

_**Keep me posted,**_

_**Felix Phoenix (Eric)**_

I sent the Mail, and when I looked around, Joey was looking over my shoulder with a dropped jaw.

"Y-y-y…You??" Joey stammered, his thoughts racing. "YOU'RE ERI-"

I slapped my hand over his mouth. "Do you have any BRAINS, boy?" I hissed.

I looked around, making sure there's nobody in sight. I beckoned Maiya and Tye over towards me.

"Yes, Joey, I am." I whispered, then looked at everyone else. "I'm Eric Claid, and I'm the one these pokemon have been talking about."


	27. Chapter 26: Gone Missin'

Chapter 26: Gone missin'

Tye was the only human being that wasn't surprised. Joey's eyes were twinkling, Maiya was out of surprise expressions, so her eyes just glazed over.

"So… you're the guy that the news has been going nuts about?" Maiya inquired, her eyes still glazed.

"I guess." I sighed, this stuff was getting tiring. "it's getting old, though. I thought at one time it was fun being the center of attention. Now…" I let it hang there, and just sighed.

The first Battle was me against Joey, and according to the clock, it was almost time to get going.

"Hey, Eri—I mean, Felix. See you at the battleground." Joey declared before recalling his Ratata. He grabbed Gengar's Pokéball and recalled him. Though when he got to venomoth, I felt something peculiar about her. Despite the thoughts being fuzzed out, it felt clear that it was eyeing me for a reason.

Joey, full of energy and excitement for the tourney, shouted "See ya!" as he was at the door of the lobby.

I walked out as well, waving farewell to Tye and Maiya.

I told Alakazam he'll be the supporting act in part two of the battle, and he was particularly interested in seeing what kind of tactics this kid might come up with I recalled him as I was walking down the hall.

*clip clap, clip clap*

Footsteps in sandals were sounding behind me, and I shrugged it off for a bit… figured that perhaps it's just some guy getting around. I turned left towards the arena.

*Clip clap clip clap*

The sandals were getting faster, as soon as the noise died down, a hand grabbed my right shoulder, and something slightly charged was against my back. It wasn't hard to know what was going on.

"What do you want?" I said calmly.

"I want you to come with me…" a male voice said, "your match won't be starting anytime soon, so you've got plenty of time."

"And should I refuse and arrive at my match on time…" I said, stiffening my hand as if ready for a karate chop.

"That's easy, I'll make you come with me." He said.

My tension eased and I turned around, and whoever it was circled to remain behind me. I began walking away from the battlefield, and began to turn right… until I struck.

I wheeled around, and thrust my stiffened hand into his gut. He began to shove his charged hand, but couldn't when I caused it to grab his other hand. The charge electrocuted him and he was frozen, stunned.

I lifted him up with Psychic. The attacker turned out to be the Pokémon Electabuzz (strangely wearing large sandals), though it looked different from an ordinary one or even the Shiner color. This Electabuzz was not Yellow and Black, but instead was more of an orange and purple. The eyes were small and dark, and he began to laugh.

"Alright, punk, who sent ya?" I demanded, pinning him to the wall.

Electabuzz kept laughing. "Hehehe, you really think that a real Dusknoir disappears after being destroyed."

"Huh?" I flashed back on that day. Where I faced against Dusknoir myself, with only my recently discovered Pokémon Forms available to fight with. Where I struck down Dusknoir and it disappeared before I broke down at it.

"Heh heh heh, this is only the beginning, Claid. Are you willing to destroy something that resembles the real deal?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I interrogated, he didn't answer. Out of "forceful questioning," I psychically shoved him into the wall. "Answer me, you son of a—AHH!"

I sharp charge went through my head, and I lost my Psychic hold on the Pokémon.

*CRRRCKKK*

I gasped as Electabuzz turned his neck to the point of breaking it. The odd colored Electabuzz crumpled to the floor, dead before my eyes, and faded away. I was frozen stiff, trying to figure out what I just saw. Electabuzz, an odd colored one at that, broke it's own neck when it told me something. Then, just like Dusknoir, it… disintegrated, into thin air.

My breathing was beginning to hyperventilate, I took a couple deep breaths, and regained control of myself. I walked back towards the Battlefield, the message stuck in my head.

"_this is only the beginning, Claid. Are you willing to destroy something that resembles the real deal?"_

I entered the Battlefield, the MC declaring my alias name in a proud gesture. I was still fixated on Electabuzz's message, but I managed to maintain posture and focus on the now.

"And now, Representing the Red Corner as Phoenix's Opponent, Joseph Giiilligaaaan!"

_Joseph Gilligan, huh?_ I thought at hearing Joey's full name.

I checked the other side, and it appeared nobody was coming. I figured that in his excitement, he must have gotten lost, so I sat down and closed my eyes for a bit.

***

"H-hey, wh-what d-do you want with m-me!?" the child stammered, fear enveloping him. The human, leading the group, was impressed at the drones. _They really looked like them_, he thought, _even though they were created to be disposable, it was a ridiculous idea to ditch beasts like these._

The head of the group stepped forward. He only aimed to utterly destroy the thorn in his side… the thorn named "Eric Claid."

"I've done what you said, now what do you plan on doing for me… DarkSilver?" the head asked

DarkSilver stepped out of the shadow, revealing himself to the two humans. The child stared at DarkSilver in disbelief, the head wasn't expecting what he saw, but unlike the child, he restrained his thoughts.

"W-What's going on here!? Why are you doing this, man?" the child cried.

"Firstly, little human, I'm not the one you speak of." DarkSilver hissed, then he turned to the head of the group. "and as for what to do with the child, do what you wish, he matters not to me, all I want are his Pokémon."

"Wha, HEY! My Pokémon, give'em back!" the child screamed as the group head took three strange orbs.

"Those are Pokémon?" DarkSilver sneered. "pathetic… utterly, and highly—"

The head pressed a button on the spheres, and they opened up to reveal three Pokémon.

"Eh? Hey, this isn't the B—" the Gengar started saying, until he noticed DarkSilver. "Heeey, Phoenix, you lost too?"

The Ratata was terrified at who Gengar spoke to. "Uhhhhh, G-G-G-Gengar, I-I d-d-don't think that's F-F-Felix."

The Venomoth was silent. DarkSilver found that it was already corrupted. "It's nice to finally meet you in person… Master Silvershade."

Gengar was startled at Venomoth and looked at her in alarm. "Master who!?"

"SILVERSHADE!?" Ratata screeched "NO!! NO, I DON'T WANNA BE!!"

Ratata tried to run, but he got held in the air by a telekinetic force. Gengar was also restrained, but caused enough resistance to warrant interest in DarkSilver.

"You, Gengar, will make a powerful dark Pokémon." DarkSilver said as he hovered his hand over Gengar and Ratata.

The head took the child with him, kicking and screaming for his Pokémon back. The Pokémon, however, were undergoing the painful process DarkSilver had in mind.

***

I walked back to the lobby, worried about Joey. It was ten minutes of sitting there in the arena, though for some reason, Joey didn't come. As a result, I was declared the winner by default, however I had other things in mind, along with hint of suspicion.

I leaned against the wall, arms folded and still thinking about the Electabuzz. It was almost as if it was trained to be disposable, to willingly kill itself after it's message was… I shook my head, trying to drive that image out, it reminded me of Dusknoir.

"AAAAAAHHH!!" someone screamed, "BIG BWUDDAAAAA!!"

"Big bwudda…" I said, recognizing the voice… [i]Riolu![i]

I dashed out of the lobby, and tried to find the source of the voice. I felt the feeling of fear, and the feeling was getting stronger. I wheeled around and Riolu was running toward me. When he briefly saw my face, quickly braked, thinking he was cornered.

I looked ahead, and found a Mightyena skidding on the floor in turning the corner. I stepped forward, and faced the chaser.

"Hey! That's Enuffa' that!" I said in a raised voice. Mightyena stopped where he was, and for some reason, his thoughts were fuzzy just like Venomoth before.

"You tell that little runt to stay out of my way when I'm training, or I might just bite off his tail." Mightyena growled.

"Hmph," I snorted. "Until Riolu gets older, you leave him alone. Now get outta here, now!"

Mightyena sneered at me, and walked away. I looked at Riolu, who still looked nervous at the sight of my face. I felt Riolu trying to read my mind, I let him.

"You look like you've seen a monster." I said, "You OK, Riolu?"

Riolu squinted, as if trying to get a better look of me. "E-Ewic, Dat you?"

"Huh? What do you mean 'is this me?'" I asked, crouching down.

Riolu was hesitant to come any closer to me. All he did was stare at my eyes and count to three. He began to relax and ran towards me, saying "It is you, Ewic, it is you!"

He jumped up and hugged me, crying out of what felt like fear and relief. I hugged him back, and gave him time to let it all out, waterworks and all. About a minute later, he tried taking deep breaths, and quiet down a bit.

"Hey…" I said softly to Riolu. "What did you mean when you asked 'that you?'"

Riolu looked up, eyes wandering for the right words then… "I was taking a little stwoll for a bit, and I heard scweaming. I felt something bad, and I was scared, I peeked awound da cona and found… you, huuting dose Pokémon."

I stared at Riolu, and he hesitated before continuing. "you turned to look at me, but you were daak, and had wed eyes. Ten dat scawy Pokémon twied to get me."

I gave it a moment's thought, I tried to picture myself, darker, and with red eyes. I pictured that person snickering, almost with evil in his teeth. Strangely, it didn't feel foreign to me… in fact, it felt familiar.

"did you happen to see anyone else with this person?" I asked.

"Umm, I tink I did… umm…"

"you mind if I look through your eyes?" I asked, out of the blue.

"huh?" Riolu was just as surprised as I was, but the idea formed out of nowhere.

"Try to remember what happened. Maybe I can see the event through your mind."

"Whoaaa, you can do dat?" Riolu asked in wonder.

"I think so, this might be my first time…" My confidence began to waver. "Maybe I should ask for a little help."

I grabbed Alakazam's Pokéball and opened it. After briefly explaining the plan to Alakazam, he raised an eyebrow and began wondering why I'd do this for a kid Pokémon.

"For one thing, it might help us figure out where Joey is." I said.

"What, he didn't show?" Alakazam inquired

I shook my head, "Riolu might have seen Joey with this guy said to look a lot like me. If he did see Joey, maybe I can find him and see what happened."

Riolu felt a little awkward, being in the middle. "ummm."

It occurred to me I forgot to introduce Alakazam formally. "Oh, sorry, This is Alakazam." I said to Riolu.

"I alweady found out." Riolu remarked. "He told me he taught you all tose telepatic twicks and a few otters."

I paused for a second, then asked "so I guess he told you what I had in mind?" Riolu shook his head.

"OK, I'm basically going to be reading your mind." I explained. "But this time, I'll be looking through your memories with you. Without your help, I can't know what you saw back there."

"Ohhh." Riolu's wonder about mind reading was racing through him.

"you ready?" Alakazam asked

"How do I do tis ting?" Riolu questioned.

"Close your eyes and think about that memory. If someone is viewing it, you'll picture it easier."

Riolu followed instructions, and as he closed his eyes, it was practically a psychic game of Twenty Questions from there.

_Alright, Riolu, what did you decide to wander off?_ Alakazam asked.

_I didn't wanda off, I wanted to see Ewic._

The picture was coming easily. Riolu told Cynthia he'd go see me, and hopped off her lap and ran off in a skip. He took a right from the stands. Riolu followed down the hall, but then had some unknown wave of dread coming from somewhere.

_W-What's goin' on… wh-why do I feel so wieud?_ Riolu thought in the memory.

"Silvershade!?" a voice cried out from a distance. "No! No, I don't wanna be!"

Riolu heard it from down the walkway and down the hall to the right. He ran over to the end of the walkway, and then he felt like he couldn't move… with effort of will, he looked around the corner. There were two darkened figures, disguised in the shadow. There was a third person, bound in rope, and screaming in pleas. One of the dark figures raised his hands towards two Pokémon floating in midair.

"PLEASE, I DON'T WANNA BE TAKEN OVER!!" the Ratata was shrieking desperately. "PLEEEASE, I'LL DO ANYTHING, JUST DON'T DO THAT TO MEEE!!"

Riolu's fear spiked from the screaming. The other Pokémon, Gengar, spotted Riolu and grew panicked.

"Get out of here!" Gengar yelled to Riolu, "GO, before he gets you too!!"

Riolu took a step back, one of the figures turned his head, and the face looked like…

It…looked exactly like mine! No, not exactly… the darker shade of skin and red eyes brimming with evil that's not mine.

"You two will experience the power of the corruptive shadow!" the look-alike declared.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Ratata shrieked again.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GET OUT OF HERE N--!!" Gengar said, until he an Ratata suddenly had a blackish purple charge surging through them.

Riolu's horror reached a peak, it began emanating coarsely. The result caused him to freeze up in terror.

The screaming from the two Pokémon was indescribably frightening. Ratata began screaming at such a high pitch, it was about as loud as Supersonic… with a taste of fear and pain in it's feel. Gengar, while not screaming at such a pitch, was trying to fight the surge… well enough, to fire off a Shadow Ball near Riolu.

The impact of the attack was enough for Riolu to start running to the right hallway, but he was cut off by a Mightyena appearing from inside the door to a room. Riolu wheeled around, slipping one foot, and dashed back the way he came.

"AHHHHHHHH!!" he screamed. "BIG BWUDDAAAAA!!"

Riolu slipped as he tried to turn a corner. He looked back and found Mightyena was not charging at him, but rather he was just staying close, snickering. He dashed down the walkway, and it was someone standing there. Riolu flashed back on the look-alike's face. A thought occurred to him, and he was able to remember what his older brother Lucario told him.

"_From what I hear, Riolu, there's someone out there that will look a lot like someone you know as a friend." _Lucario told him. _"if you're scared to approach him and find out, then look into his eyes for a few seconds, three to about seven should do it."_

Riolu looked into the person's eyes for eight seconds, and nothing happened. He felt like this was really me, and…..

I opened my eyes, his eyes opened right after. I was quiet, though, at seeing someone that looks almost identical to myself. I'll have to hand it to whoever is responsible, the guy's a pro at a disguise… way out of my league.

Still, there was something bugging me about hat happened. Wasn't there someone on this ferry with a Mightyena? I know Leeroy has one… but it's too soon to be certain.

"Riolu, you going to be okay?" I asked

He simply nodded, his thoughts were baffled. He didn't really have anything to say at the moment, nor did he know what to say first.

I decided to get things going, since I had a lot in mind as well.

"So, what was it you wanted to see me about?"

Riolu stared at me blankly, he remembered he wanted to tell me something, but…

"Oh, ummm…" he paused, trying to remember what it was that he wanted to tell me. "Oh noo!! I-I…I fuugot!"

I just lowered my eyelids slightly, in a kind of sympathetic gesture. "It's OK. You had a pretty bad thing happen, it's over now, so that's all that matters."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not a kid, I know dat stuff." Riolu remarked obnoxiously.

I paused for another second, a precaution occurring to me. "maybe I better talk to Lucario myself."

"OK."

"Alright, now, where does Cynthia usually sit, anyways? We'd better keep her and your bro waiting."

"She usually sits in ta V.I.P. place."

I smiled. "Alright, bud, lead the way."


	28. Chapter 27: Getting to know Claid

Chapter 27: Getting to know Claid

"Riolu saw what!" Lucario blurted out when I was done explaining. "That's impossible for a human with a disguise like that! I can understand a Ditto, or someone with some kind of operation, but that's impossible if it's just some disguise."

It wasn't exactly easy to get in the V.I.P. stands from the regular hallway. The sailor who kept watch told me that it was invitation only, while I told him that I wanted to talk to Cynthia, he refused to let me in. Thankfully, Riolu snuck in and managed to convince Cynthia to let me in. once I was able to talk to her, I asked if Riolu's brother Lucario could also talk with us, where I explained to him everything Riolu witnessed.

"Hmm." I thought over his opinion about my look-alike, then a thought occurred to me with what Ratata "said". "Out of curiosity, what does 'Silvershade' mean to you?"

Lucario's rounded bits of "hair" stood on end, and his ears shot up when I mentioned this name. "S-Silvershade… you honestly don't know?"

"Lucario, you're telling us that you do?" Cynthia asked, intrigued.

"Actually, I heard it through a frightening rumor among the others." He explained. "It was before you used that Pokéform with Garchomp. As soon as Eric Claid as being circulated among the gossip of the Pokémon, the Ghost Pokémon were saying something about an unspeakable evil of sorts… something that's destined to battle against the one of the Sacred Fire. Not much detail was given out, but a Pokémon Tower in Sinnoh was talking of a being called 'Darkness Silvershade', that he's corrupting the world with an evil only the Sacred Fire can heal."

_Darkness Silvershade, huh?_ I thought to myself. _That's quite a name… but what's this about an evil? Could it have something to do with Shadow Pokémon, or is it something worse?_

"What does this evil do?" I inquired.

Lucario shook his head, "I don't know, I wasn't able to ask."

I pondered over it for a while, and Electabuzz was the first thing to come to mind. There was no doubt in my mind that no ordinary Electabuzz would disappear the minute its life was extinguished. I wasn't sure before of Dusknoir, being a Ghost Pokémon, but finding it happen to something that isn't a ghost is very unusual.

"Well, at least I'm sure that this guy Silvershade knows something about where Joey is." I said, trying to think as positive as possible. "Maybe his Mightyena could tell us."

"Umm, Ewic?" Riolu piped up, "Tat Mightyena don't belong to dat guy who looks like you."

"Huh? You sure?"

"Ya, Cus ta Mightyena tat chased me is wight teah!" he pointed out towards the battle arena. Sure enough, it wasn't some guy that looked like me.

It was Leeroy that's commanding the Mightyena that Riolu pointed out.

"Leeroy!" I exclaimed. "You're sure?"

Riolu nodded rapidly. "I twied to read his mind, but it was all messed up and wieud."

I gave my shot at reading Mightyena and as Riolu said, the thoughts were fuzzy and unclear.

"Well? How is it?" Cynthia, who was observing my attempt, asked.

I paused, and flashed back towards Riolu's memory. By last recall, there were two people over at the shadow: one was my impersonator (assumed to be this "Silvershade" person), the other was unclear. Joey and his Pokémon were held, and while Joey was dragged off somewhere, his Pokémon went through some kind of torture.

Riolu got chased by a Mightyena with concealed thoughts, and he pointed it out by reading the mind of the one Leeroy commanded.

A few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were starting to come together, but the picture was still unclear.

"Eric?" Lucario noted my silence.

I looked at Lucario and Cynthia, and then I gazed at Riolu, whose expression was curious about what's next.

"Seems to me like we have our first suspect." I concluded. I looked around briefly, then got the attention of a staff member.

"Excuse me, when does the Tournament go on a lunch break?"

He sifted through a small packet of papers, and glanced at it before responding. "Right after this round, Mr. Phoenix."

"Thanks." I told him, then I came back to Cynthia and Lucario. "OK, I might be able to get to the bottom of this… but I might need to ask something of you, Cynthia."

"Alright… depends on what you request." She answered, skeptical.

I paused, being extremely careful on how I worded this request. "Would it be OK if we do a temporary trade?" I asked, "I'll leave my Charizard with you, and Lucario comes with me… is this alright with you?"

Lucario was puzzled at my question. "What would you want me to come along?"

"I'm thinking of keeping an eye on Leeroy for a little bit, perhaps he might help me find a clue to locating Joey." I explained. "But to do that, I need to stick close without being seen. My Pokémon aren't exactly able to sneak around corners of a ferry without being noticed. Lucario appears perfect for sneaking around, and unless what I read about them is incorrect, he's also able to Track someone with ease."

Cynthia looked at Lucario, who paused for a couple seconds. "Alright, looks like you have a plan, kid. You better hope it works, though."

_Just an unofficial mission for a Rocket elite with a kind heart._ I thought.

"So, we have a Deal?" I asked Cynthia.

Cynthia paused for a second… and smiled. "You think I could hold onto your Blaziken instead?"

The response surprised me, and I hesitated before accepting the deal. I handed over Blaziken's Pokéball, and in return, she handed me Lucario's. I told myself to remember to trade back after the stakeout on Leeroy was finished.

I looked over Riolu and found that Leeroy's battle was recently ended. I checked what side he was on, and seconds later, it was me and Lucario dashing off towards the Red Entrance.

...

After dashing out of the room, with Lucario close behind, Eric's Pokéball was all that's left, the Pokéball that Cynthia now is holding onto.

She juggled it a little, still wondering a bit about Eric Claid and what the Pokémon have been saying.

"_When the Darkness rises, a boy by the name of Claid will face it."_ a Xatu had prophesied. _"with the help of the turbulent winds of love and the Sacred Fire he will soon share, He and his companions will unite the world against the shadows that threaten us."_

Cynthia rolled over the Blaziken's Pokéball a couple times, and decided to ask a few questions about the kid.

She opened the Pokéball, and Blaziken stood in front of her.

"Huh, hold on a—where am I?" Blaziken said in confusion, looking around for his Trainer.

"You're in the V.I.P. seating." Cynthia told him. "After a little discussion, Eric made a temporary trade with me to stake someone out with my Lucario."

Blaziken narrowed his eyes at Cynthia. "How can I know if you're telling the truth?"

"Hey, Yuua Blasiken, wight?" a voice piped up.

Blaziken looked, and Riolu sat on the railing, swinging his legs back and forth.

"Hey, so you're the Riolu he told me about." Blaziken said, smiling mostly with his eyes. "Nice to meet you."

"Cyntia talked with Ewic about finding tat Joey guy tat went missing, he tinks Leewoy might know something, so he and my bwudda Lucawio gone off to spy on him."

"Leeroy, huh?" Blaziken's attitude towards that name felt grim to Cynthia.

"What's Eric's relation with this Leeroy kid, anyways?" Cynthia inquired.

Blaziken's expression was mute. According to his thoughts, however, he flashed back on an offer Eric was given…twice, by-… the memory cut off when he remembered that people can read his mind.

"Let's just say that he went downhill for awhile." Blaziken said.

Cynthia thought it over, and quickly figured out what Blaziken meant, based on a news bulletin about a month ago.

"Did he really join Team Rocket?" Cynthia asked, up front and fast.

Blaziken jolted off the spot and snapped his gaze towards Cynthia. Thoughts of sudden surprise of whether or not it was a random accusation or not went through his head. Cynthia, her suspicion confirmed, began wondering what the kid was like.

"Sorry, I remembered that news bulletin awhile back and I recognized Eric from the broadcast, and the inquiry a little while later." Cynthia said, and explained her encountering the prophecy from Xatu, along with her curiosity about Eric. "So, since I know now that you're his best friend, I guess I'd like to know what he's like."

Blaziken was quiet for a few seconds, taking in what was said. He sat down in a seat acrossed from Cynthia and folded his hands, looking down as he reminisced his experience.

"When I first met Eric in Lavaridge City, I knew from the minute he gazed at me that we'd be friends." He explained. "He chose me out of the three starter Pokémon sent in from Professor named Birch, and he took me home to introduce me to his family. He came from a family restaurant, and he was taught to be a great cook, so he could occasionally help out in the kitchen."

Cynthia was impressed. _No wonder Riolu was fond of his Pokéblocks._ She thought, smiling. _After he left his room, he couldn't stop talking about them when we went off for breakfast that morning._

"Later, his parents reminded him to make some food for the Pokémon staff that helped out in the kitchen. He always was able to make them all pleased." Blaziken continued. "They told me that he's good at cooking for the Pokémon. It's easy for him to know what kind of taste a Pokémon has, and when I was being served, they weren't kidding!" he began to laugh, Cynthia recognized the feeling he felt and joined in briefly without much thought.

"Then one day, a couple of kids of the recent customers went outside to play and I was sitting and enjoying the weather. But the kids found themselves being bullied by a couple of new trainers. The kids only wanted to meet their Pokémon, but the Trainers had them cornered. I managed to divert Eric's attention towards them, and he recognized them and jumped out. The Magmar cook and Scyther that usually chopped vegetables came with him to help out. The Battle went by so fast I hardly knew what happened. The Trainers recalled their Pokémon and ran off, and I later learned that Eric used their skills in the kitchen as a strategy in battle."

_I guess he's not only a good cook for the Pokémon, but apparently he's the bouncer as well._ Cynthia thought, then said "Well, I guess we know how he gets his resourcefulness. So when did he leave on the traditional pursuit like other Trainers?"

"Actually, we overheard him and his folks discussing that." Blaziken said. "His mother suggested that perhaps he could go learn about what kinds of stuff is out there. His Pop thought he could be a great chef in the world, and just as good in Battling… he went a little overboard when he could make a nice advertiser for the restaurant, but Eric was convinced either way. So he packed up with a couple foldable pots and pans and we set off for Kanto, where we took part in the Pokémon League."

_Hmm… who'd have thought such a nice kid like Eric would join up with Team Rocket. Though that's what's bugging me, how'd a nice guy like Eric wind up with criminals?_ Cynthia mused. "How'd the League go?"

Blaziken's expression turned grim. "Before we entered the Indigo Plateau… Eric and I ran into Giovanni. He told him that he could help him become the strongest trainer in all of Kanto. Eric refused politely, and we took part and enjoyed the thrill with other Trainers… until we met Leeroy."

"Leewoy?" Riolu piped up, "You mean ta Leewoy who Ewic and Big bwudda is spying on?"

Blaziken nodded. "The Battle was apparently intense. When I got called out, it was down to the last Pokémon. And the announcer guy was in awe at how Eric was doing so great. A great start with Charizard, then a furious counter upset with Kadabra before passing out. It was down to Masquerain and me. The battle was nuts, and just I was ready to deal the finishing hit, Eric got cut off issuing the attack, and seemed suddenly dizzy."

Riolu and Cynthia both noticed the pain Blaziken felt in the memory.

"I was only distracted for an instant, and then Masquerain pummeled me with an assault of Hydro Pump and Psychic." Blaziken's hand tightened up, and his fist was close to erupting. "Eric talked with me later, told me of the message that Leeroy told him… I don't remember much of it, but he said 'all your pathetic efforts went up in smoke because you fight clean.'"

Riolu began feeling sorry for Eric. Cynthia was concerned about him, but began to get the idea of what happened next.

"Giovanni appeared in front of the doors to the deserted stadium, and told Eric that he could get back at Leeroy. Eric, being troubled about the message he was given, decided to go along to Team Rocket. We found out later what it really was, and somehow, Eric's managed to maintain the appearance of a criminal. I start to wonder what happened to him. A Hoenn born chef turned to a potential criminal mastermind, I would have had enough if it weren't for him still being a caring person…"

The room was quiet. Riolu looked at Cynthia, who was a bit amused at how Eric acted, being vulnerable to false promises and was willing to get back at a guy who beat him unfairly. _Born in Hoenn with a family restaurant, convinced by his parents to see the world, and to take on the Pokémon League. But to lose in his first tournament can hurt, Leeroy might have set him up for Team Rocket by humiliating him like that… poor kid._

"So, what did Ewic leaun in Team Wocket?" Riolu asked

Cynthia was intrigued with that question. _Hmm… now that I think about it, what did he learn to fit the description Blaziken gave him?_

Blaziken was surprised at the question, and he paused as a result.

"He…" Blaziken took a deep breath. "He learned quite a bit from Team Rocket. He learned about maintaining an acceptable posture on the outside, he's able to act out in whatever disguise he's given, and above all, he's strengthened his moral endurance."

Riolu tilted his head, not understanding what Blaziken meant.

"He makes himself look acceptable to others, he's a master of disguise along with being sneaky. Then… while he knows what he's doing is wrong, he… doesn't show it." Cynthia summarized for Riolu.

"Oooooh…"

Blaziken stared out into the scenery past the arena, his melancholy expression left the room silent again.

"Yeah, he knows that what he's done in Team Rocket is bad. But sooner or later, all of it's going to come back to haunt him," Blaziken said, worry in his tone of voice. "All it needs is a breaking point, and…" he hesitated. He took another breath "and… I'm not sure what will happen to him when he finally can't bear with Team Rocket's evil anymore."


	29. Chapter 28: Ambush!

Chapter 28: Ambush!

_Ugh, are you sure there's something up with Leeroy? He looks normal to me._ Lucario fumed, frustrated at seeing Leeroy act like some normal snob.

I wasn't surprised at the attitude… Leeroy was probably planning to keep a low profile so that he doesn't find his actions discovered, especially when I'm the one that stopped his Mightyena. Regardless, he's still a suspect, and I was still going to keep an eye on him.

I was right to have Lucario tracking. According to him, his ability to sense the life force of living things, (known as Aura) can potentially expand farther than the eye can see. Because of this, Lucario is able to know where Leeroy is, even if it's through a wall!

I followed him over to his room, where I was almost beginning to lose suspicion… when I began to hear something.

***Tmp…tmp…tmp***

"Hm?" I tried to focus my hearing, to find the source of the noise.

_What is it?_ Lucario asked,

***Tmp…Tmp…Tmp***

_You hear something?_ I said, still trying to find the source of the sound.

Lucario paused. I held in my breath in silence. Then I heard something else… something like Leeroy's voice. I crept closer towards the door.

"…one's going to find you. Claid's probably thinking you got lost on the boat, and he'll be setting up for his match against his next opponent." Leeroy was saying. "And I guarantee you, little boy, that it will be the _last_ Pokémon Battle that he'll be around to be in."

I heard muffled moans in the background. I heard the noise again, only louder.

***Tmp…Tmp…Tmp***

"I guess someone could potentially find you, but they won't defeat the guards I have stationed with you… and if you think Pokémon don't kill, then try to escape then. I guarantee that if you do anything stupid, he will make sure you're no longer breathing."

The moans began to sound like it was crying.

"Yeah, I know you want to know what my boss did to your pathetic little Pokémon." Leeroy continued. "Well, they've decided to hang out with _me_ now. They realized that they're worthless being the way they are. They came with us, and now they're more powerful Shadow Pokémon, kid."

The moans gained a sharp twinge of alarm, as if what Leeroy said was some kind of truth.

"Smell ya later, newbie." Leeroy said, snickering.

I knew I had to get back to avoid suspicion. When I got back to Lucario, he was meditating. No surprise, though, since he was already impatient enough with me.

_Well, did you get something worth my time?_ Lucario said irritably.

_Yeah._ I replied, _and that puts Riolu at higher risk of kidnapping._

Lucario jolted off the spot. _WHAT!?_

_Remember what I explained to you that happened in Riolu's memory? The Pokémon, being painfully charged with some purple energy?_

…_yes…?_

_That energy, from what Leeroy said, turns regular Pokémon to Shadow Pokémon._

Lucario's eyes shrunk in horror. His younger brother unknowingly witnessed the creation of Shadow Pokémon outside their Pokéball. He shook his head, trying not to imagine his brother seeing something so horrible. His mind was wild with panic, mostly for Riolu's sake.

I rested my hand on his shoulder. _Hey, Lucario._ I said, getting his attention and looking into his eyes. _You're thinking as if you're the only one that seems to worry for Riolu's sake, man. Don't forget, Riolu's my friend, and I don't let anything happen to my friends._

_He's not even here! How can you protect him?_ Lucario snapped, breaking eye contact.

_Because he's with my strongest partner, and my closest friend. Blaziken will not let anything happen to your brother and as a friend, I trust him._

Lucario stared at me, his thoughts wondering about what kind of person I'm like. _I was told by other Pokémon of Kanto that you're part of Team Rocket. But seeing you act like this, I wonder how it's possible._ He took a breath, and with confidence restored, he smiled. _Thanks, kid. It's good to know there's someone that Riolu can trust. Plus, your Blaziken sounds like a tough cookie._

I nodded, smiling.

***Ki-click***

I heard the sound of a door opening. Knowing what I had in mind, Lucario sensed that Leeroy was walking away from the entrance, turning to the next hall, and then to the grand hall. He opened his eyes, and I figured the coast is clear. I snuck toward the door and tested it, and as expected, it was locked.

I began wondering how to use Psychic to pick a lock, and I called out Alakazam to help me out. Once we got inside, I then tried to inspect the entire room for some kind of clue.

"Hello?" I hissed, "Anyone else here?"

"MMMRH!?"

The bound up sobs came from the closet. I came close to it to see if Joey was through it… but it was too dark to see inside.

"Joey, that you?"

"MRrrrgh, mrrhrhrrrrh!" Joey moaned.

"Stay calm, I'll get you outta there." I tried to open the closet door, but it was stuck.

I plucked Alakazam's Pokéball and summoned the Pokémon Form. With a little help from the heightened psychic ability, I forced the door to slide open all the way, with a snap of something breaking.

But Joey wasn't there. Instead was a radio that had been set up as if it was someone actually hiding there.

"Wha--, damn!" I exclaimed, not happy about being fooled.

"The door's been opened. You know what to do to him." A deep male voice spoke through the walkie talkie.

"KAAAHHHH!!"

A sudden impulse in my mind, and I reflexively ducked my head to the left, avoiding what looked like silverish lavender needles.

I wheeled around to stare at my attacker. And the attacker was a black Arbok, with matching colored designs. Lucario was facedown, breathing heavily, and under the effects of what seems to be a concentrated poison.

"Lucario…!!"

I felt through his thoughts, and the toxin was working fast. His mind as beginning to fade on me, and if I don't give him medicine soon, he won't make it.

"Psycho Cut!" I declared, summoning a Psychic blade over my hand.

Like a flash of teeth and reptilian blackness, Arbok lunged at me, and I sidestepped it while grabbing for Alakazam's Pokéball.

With a whip of its tail, though, Arbok grabbed hold of my leg and tugged. I fell backwards and lost my grip on the Pokéball.

I tried to push my hands on the floor, but I found the needles protruding from each of them, and I couldn't find the strength. Arbok rose up above me, its body beginning to coil around my stomach and chest. The open fangs glowed purple and began to drip with killing intent.

My panic rose. _No! I'm not gonna die here!_

I tried to move, but the poison overwhelmed my arms.

I glanced toward the Pokéball, and focused on it. It lifted, and I dropped it on the ground, causing it to open.

"Thisss time, human, you peeped into the wrong dwelling for the lassst time." Arbok said, the words slithering out of its mouth in a relishing manner. Without even any warning, Arbok struck, biting down with toxic fangs at my neck. The poison released numbed the spot instantly, and it began spreading fast throughout the rest of my senses. I tried to breathe, but I choked on the poison instead, hacking and gagging.

My head began swimming, I tried to find the surface, but was having little trouble. I didn't… I……didn't want…to…die here…

Then the last thing I saw… was a psychic blade piercing through Arbok's head. Before it disappeared, I looked at a fuzzed out Lucario, but as I tried to reach him. I faintly heard my name called.

Then… Everything went black.

***

Blaziken began fidgeting, he was worried for Eric's well being, and he knew something was wrong. Cynthia began wondering what was taking Lucario to check up on her.

"Wat's takin Lucawio so long?" Riolu asked.

"I'm not sure…"

_CYNTHIA!!_ A voice telepathically yelled. _WHERE ARE YOU!?_

Cynthia jumped, now standing, looked around. _Who is this?_

_Eric and Lucario are poisoned critically, where are you!_

Cynthia gave the voice a mental picture, Alakazam appeared seconds later.

"Alakazam, What—" Blaziken knew something was wrong.

"Pecha Berries, Antidotes, Eric's bag, NOW!!" Alakazam demanded.

Blaziken didn't ask, but instead dashed out of the room at top speed, knocking down the doorman.

"W-W-Wat's going on?" Riolu asked, flustered and confused.

"Alakazam, where are they?" Cynthia interrogated

"No time, Eric's dying, c'mon!" Alakazam put his hand on Cynthia and in a flash, they were instantly in a ransacked room.

Eric was on the floor face up, and twitching. Lucario was facedown, unmoving.

Riolu gasped. "Big Bwudda!"

Cynthia checked Lucario… he was breathing, but passed out. Eric, on the other hand, was barely alive. There appeared to be fang marks on his neck, and his eyes were glazed over.

*Tsmm*

Alakazam and Blaziken teleported behind Cynthia, just as Riolu did for Lucario, Blaziken rushed to his friend's side. Alakazam mentally took the antidote from the bottle, and crushed the Pecha Berry into it.

"Blaziken, open his mouth." Alakazam ordered.

Blaziken followed instruction, and slowly, Alakazam made Eric swallow the mixture. The twitching was still going on for a couple of seconds, until they began to calm. And Eric's eyes closed. Blaziken rested his finger on his neck, and he sighed of relief. He was going to make it, thanks to them.

Cynthia smiled at them, impressed that Alakazam was able to know what to do without help from another Trainer. But as she glanced at Alakazam, something glimmered under Eric's shirt. Blaziken spotted it as well, but Alakazam only stared solemnly at it.

Blaziken extracted the item from under Eric's shirt and laid it over for everyone to see. Cynthia's heart began pounding rapidly upon seeing the pendant with a Pokéball and gold wings.

_So what the Pokémon say were real. This must be the mark of Ho-oh that Eric bears around his neck. Poor kid, not even eighteen years old and now he's got a global problem to face in the future…_ she thought. Then she glanced at Blaziken whose hands were folded, and his eyes closed. _At least he's in good hands. It's not often you find a Pokémon Trainer that treats his Pokémon as much as he would of another human being._

"Nnngh…grr.." a voice groaned.

Cynthia glanced back, and found Lucario coming to.

"Ugh, what…?"

"BIG BWUDDAAA!!" Riolu cried, hugging Lucario with tears of joy. "You awake, you awake! I taought you was a gonaa."

Lucario noticed Eric on the floor, and a wave of alarm hit him. "Eric! He's not..." Cynthia shook her head, which explained wordlessly that he's alive. Lucario took deep breaths and settled down. "An Arbok caught us by surprise, I couldn't sense any aura from it, and it hit me with Poison Fang. I wanted to warn him… but, I couldn't move."

Riolu explained what happened to Lucario, and he sighed with relief. But something didn't add up to Lucario, and from a single glance at Alakazam, made Claid more suspicious.

"Hey, Alakazam. I thought I was dead, but here I am. What'd you do?"

Alakazam levitated a Pokéball with a small device attached to it. The Device covered half of the Ball, and where the button was to open it, was a latch with a lens in the middle.

"Eric will usually keep a Full Restore on hand at all times." Alakazam explained. "So using this PTM and your Pokéball was able to cure your poison. Unfortunately, Eric only carries one Full Restore on him, so we had to hurry to his room to help him."

"What happened to Arbok?"

Alakazam closed his eyes. "Dead…"

Cynthia snapped her gaze at Lucario and Alakazam. "Dead? But then where's the body?"

"Gone, disappeared the minute it began to slack."

Riolu tilted his head. "Disappeaued?"

Cynthia was just as curious as he was. A Pokémon that disappears when it dies, that's like no other kind of Pokémon.

"But why did you haff to kill it in the fuust place?" Riolu said, expressing pity.

Alakazam looked Riolu sharply in the eye. "Because when I saw Arbok, it had Poison Fang bitten down on Eric's neck. Poison can be cured, but I don't know if anyone on the boat can fix a ripped out throat."

Alarm shot through Lucario and Riolu, Cynthia heart sank as she stared at Eric.

"Hehehe, oh, no one can fix a ripped out throat, Alakazam." A voice said. "If it happened, he'd have been dead like he's s'posed to be."

Blaziken, who was praying for Eric's speedy recovery, recognized the voice and wheeled around. The voice belonged to Gengar, standing at the doorway and snickering.

"You, you're Joey's Gengar!" Blaziken exclaimed.

"Joey? My former Trainer?" Gengar responded. "Hah! When I was shown the power of the Shadows, I really knew that I wasn't meant to be with that kid. He doesn't know what it's like to really fight."

"'Power of the Shadows', what's that supposed to mean?" Cynthia interrogated

Using his Aura Sight, Lucario stared into Gengar's Aura… the blue aura that it had was twisted around by a purple black rope that seemed to be slithering through him, giving the aura a lavender shade. Lucario returned to normal sight, with the conclusion that Gengar wasn't really talking.

Alakazam was dumbfounded with Gengar, as was Blaziken. "You were a laid back Pokémon, and you even told Eric that he was fairly accurate when he said you were his closest friend!" Alakazam protested. "What happened to you two?"

Gengar grinned with an evil confidence. "Something that you'll never live to experience."

***Phhvvromm, Phhvvromm***

With an odd sound, two obscure Pokémon appeared out of a dark fog, seeming ready to fight, and murder in their glowing red eyes. Lucario used his Aura Sight again, but was surprised to find that these Pokémon didn't have any aura.

"No Aura?! But that means these Pokémon are…"

"You know what to do, boys!" Gengar declared.

The fog dissipated to reveal a Scyther and a Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan's attire wasn't pink, but instead a pale grey. Scyther, normally a lime green, was of a desert brown. Blaziken stood up and faced the enemies, standing beside Alakazam.

"Heh, not exactly my idea of 'thug' Pokémon." Blaziken commented. "Usually the Grunts would get only Zubat, Koffing, Ratata, or their Evo's."

Lucario snapped his gaze at Blaziken. "What?"

"This means that these punks aren't from Team Rocket. Unless the executives got new Pokémon."

"Huh!?"

"He'll explain later." Cynthia intervened. "Right now we got to focus here."

"Actually, why are they just standing there, anyways?" Alakazam inquired.

The Hitmonchan and Scyther were not moving, appearing to be observing what was going on. Riolu tried to read the Scyther's mind… but instead of getting a thought pattern, it was an image of Scyther's murderous eyes turning towards Riolu. Alakazam noticed the fright in Riolu's trembling, and tried the same with Hitmonchan. Unlike Riolu, Alakazam did not get anything in Hitmonchan's mind.

_Empty thoughts…_ Alakazam relayed to the group. _These aren't ordinary Pokémon._

_And these two don't seem to have any aura, either._ Lucario added. _It's like they're some kind of machine… and not really living creatures._

_**ELIMINATE… ELIMINATE POKEMON AND HUMAN TARGETS.**_

At the sound of an unknown command, the two evil Pokémon's attack poise grew ready to jump.

Alakazam left the Hitmonchan's mind, dazed at hearing the voice with such a high intensity. _Ahh, Get ready!_

Hitmonchan leapt in Blaziken's direction, Electricity charging the left fist. Blaziken sidestepped, but then it occurred to him what the target was.

"No!" Blaziken snapped as he made a sweep kick to trip Hitmonchan. The first enemy fell forward, and the supercharged fist exploded a foot from Eric's head. Blaziken grabbed Hitmonchan and kicked it off towards the second enemy. Alakazam spotted Scyther glancing towards Riolu, and his alarm shot up when the gaze intensified.

"Riolu!" he shouted before teleporting, at the exact instant, Scyther twitched, and disappeared briefly. Then in a sudden flash of movement, Scyther was stopped in front of Alakazam, its blade pressing against the psychic spoons Alakazam held.

"Damn it's fast." Alakazam growled, fighting to hold Scyther's Blade away from a terrified Riolu. Then a second flash of movement, and Alakazam Teleported behind Riolu blocking another attack from Scyther.

"Riolu, Move!" Lucario commanded, charging towards Scyther.

Scyther twitched again, this time, looking to the left. Alakazam did a quick scan, and his alarm shot up again.

After a third flash of movement the attacked was blocked again, only this time, it was intended for Eric's throat. Being above Eric when the attack was blocked, Alakazam got slammed against the top of Eric's chest.

"Ngh… wha?" Eric groaned. "Wha—ACK!!"

As if coming out of thin air, a psychic Blade formed over Eric's hand and stabbed through the Scyther's head. The Pokémon's eyes glazed over instantly as it disintegrated. Blaziken, who was avoiding the Hitmonchan's flurry of punches, managed to seize one of the thrown punches and thrust upward with his elbow, dislocating the shoulder.

"Graaah!" Blaziken cried as he threw the Hitmonchan to the floor and proceeded to restraining it.

*KRRCKK*

Lucario, Riolu, and the bystanding Cynthia froze in place as they heard Hitmonchan's neck break. Blaziken stopped as he found his catch go limp and disappear from underneath him. Blaziken's knees dropped to the floor with a thud, and when Alakazam scanned him, he found his thoughts go wild with confusion and horror.

He scanned Eric's mind, who was reflecting upon something he was told by an Electabuzz.

"_This is only the beginning, Claid. Are you willing to destroy something that resembles the real deal?"_

"Weird… can't think…" Eric yawned, before passing out again.

Lucario checked Riolu to see if he was OK, Cynthia managed to help him calm down. Blaziken approached Alakazam, who was also followed with Riolu.

"Dat was scawy…" Riolu told Alakazam. Blaziken crouched down and noticed the look in Alakazam's eyes.

"Something that… resembles the real deal…" Alakazam muttered, processing the brief memory from Eric's mind.

"What's up?" Blaziken inquired.

"Ya, what's up?" Riolu agreed.

"I dunno…" Alakazam said, a sense of dread welling up. "Though it doesn't take a cliché to know that this isn't over yet."


	30. Chapter 29: Come and Get it!

Chapter 29: Come and Get it

I woke up in a bed of some kind, my head was throbbing like crazy. I moved my fingers… they felt stiff. The world was fuzzy, my body from the neck down felt lazy. Everywhere else, was buzzing… buzzing with confusion and of where this is.

"Ngh… Ngaaah." I groaned, still trying to move.

"You're one poor, poor kid, Eric." Someone said. I looked around with my eyes, and found Cynthia sitting next to me.

"How so? You mean how I seem to find myself nearly killed?" I rasped, still finding it hard to move anything.

"You were supposed to be dead, dude." Another voice said. "But the pendant helped keep you alive until we cured the poison."

"Wha…?"

Blaziken stood on the other side of me, and I looked at him. His arms were crossed, and his eyes had worry inside. "Cynthia told me a little bit about the pendant. She says it's called the Sacred Fire Seal, and that it grants a portion of the Fire to the one chosen to bear it."

"The Seal, one of many, is mentioned for the one said to be a natural born leader with righteous intentions." Cynthia explains. "The one who bears it is told to meet with Legendary Pokémon, and forge a bond that lives on with said bearer for the rest of their life. The Bearer, however, is primarily chosen because his background fit's the ideal life that said Pokémon lives."

"Fits the ideal life of said Pokémon"… What is it about me that Ho-oh feels I relate to? I didn't understand, I understood that those who see Ho-oh are considered righteous. But, I'm a criminal, and what's so righteous about doing bad and maybe unforgivable acts, that I know are wrong?

"Eric, you came from a kind family that lived happily with Pokémon. When you vowed to get stronger, you got involved with the wrong people unknowingly. You realized what your doing is wrong, and you worry that it will someday come back to haunt you. When you're not doing criminal activity, you'll try to forget about it by having innocent fun with your friends and Pokémon. Sooner or later, Team Rocket will cross your line of morality, and you'll attack back. From what the legend's background hints, you're the one that fits Ho-oh's background."

I was quiet, and tried to understand how Cynthia knew my background. Furthermore, she was right… once Team Rocket crossed my line of morality, that would be it, I'd be against them in a heartbeat. Plus, since I know how the system works around them, I could do some serious damage to the organization. But above all this psychoanalysis and background information…

"Who told ya…?"

"I did." Blaziken said, to my astonishment.

"You seem to treasure you friends like you would a sibling." Lucario, sitting on the bed next to Cynthia. "I still don't understand what drove you into Team Rocket."

I paused… _what kind of Champion is this lady?_ she sounded like she was big on myths and legends. But what she said about Ho-oh, was it true? Was Ho-oh more fitted towards a kindhearted, yet naïve human boy like me? I heard a lot that it was more towards righteous people, and I figured they were like big, important people like Cynthia or some other Champion. But, could it really just be anyone that's more like me? I have no way of finding all these answers… which just gives me more of a reason to get to Jhoto. But first things first, I did remember why I went into that room before.

"Hey… did they find Joey?" I asked. Cynthia shook her head, Lucario looked somewhat it a trance then, as if something was bothering him. "Actually, we might have ourselves a suspect. But it's still not certain what the problem is. There was a radio in the closet where we thought the kid was, but who knows where he could be." Then I had an idea, and gasped as it hit me. "Wait… The radio. Nghh!" I rose up as I figured out the idea, but a sharp pain in my neck caused me to fall back on the bed. "Blaziken, did you get a glance of the radio?"

Blaziken looked at me. "Yeah, but, what does that have to do with Joey?" I smirked at him, and tried to think of what that one course in radio models said. "If the radio had an antenna, then I need to find out how long it is. Remember that one mission where I was the gifted telecommunications repair assistant?"

Then he realized what I was talking about. "Wait, that one mission where you had to disable… Oh, I get it now. The shorter the antenna…"

"The closer Joey is to Leeroy's room." I finished. "Yeah."

"What…uhhh, what aww you two talking about?" Riolu asked.

"Most radios will have a single stick that sends signals to a matching brother, called and 'antenna'." I told Riolu, "Usually, the stick's length will roughly determine how far the radio will send its signal before it's lost. The longer the stick, the farther that I could…say, talk to you through a walkie talkie."

"Umm, so uhh, you is hoping for a small stick?"

"Yeah, that way, we don't need to look so far to find Joey."

Riolu was still puzzled, which was no surprise. I had complained the entire trip back after that mission, so I can see where he is on the regard. Just then, something tapped me on the shoulder, and Alakazam was levitating the radio in front of me. I examined it where I was laying, directing Alakazam how to turn it. The push-to-talk button was jammed, so it was meant to receive anything I had. I checked the back, and the batteries weren't there, which is good. Then finally, I looked at the antenna, the single antenna… and it was more than short. It was as long as my PDA, which extends to about three and a third quarter inches.

"You can't be serious… is this really the one found in Leeroy's room?" I uttered.

"Why, is that a bad thing?" Lucario asked

"No, this is great! This appears to be a short range receiver, which means Joey can't be too far away from Leeroy's room."

*BEEP, BEEP, BEEP*

I tried to reach my PDA on the bedside table, but Blaziken took it instead. A couple of taps as he supposedly got to my inbox, and he paused before reading it.

"**Eric Claid**

**I already know it was you that broke into my room, and I have found sources stating that you managed to survive. So, you can color me impressed that you've got some allies able to save your sorry little ass. I'm pretty sure you want answers, about the boy, about his recently made Shadow Pokémon, and especially about what that little Pokémon twerp saw. If you want to find out, then see me at…"**

Blaziken stopped reading aloud, and the expression in his eyes gazed in hesitation, if only for a second.

"Blaziken?"

Blaziken snapped his gaze at me in surprise, and then his blank stare made it clear in my best friend. He was hiding something, and he knows I found out. "It cut off…" he lied as he put the device back on the bedside table. I tried hard to get moving, but my arms were tied down by some unknown weight. My legs couldn't move, and trying to get up will cause my neck to burn on he spots I was bitten. So I won't be able to confront Leeroy and get my answers, I'll be disqualified from the tournament, and then what? Just wing it and go to Ekruteak City, with more questions? No! My frustration was growling harshly. I had so much business that I know would put me in danger, but I want those damned answer!

_If only I could heal on the spot._ I thought angrily _if I could make a faster freaking recovery. Wait… recovery!_ The thought rung a bell in my head. Pokémon sometimes have moves that can help them keep battling, even if they take a beating… I've been told that I might be able to use some Pokémon moves, like I did with Psycho Cut and Teleport.

"Hey, Blaziken." I said, his attention curious. "Could you hand me Alakazam's Pokéball?" He placed the Pokéball it to me, and then I focused on Alakazam's psychic ability.

"Recover." I said, focusing on the aspect of healing.

As if on command, I felt an uplifting feeling flowing through my body, like a weight was being lifted off of me. I felt as if I could do anything now. I tried to raise my hand, and it did. I did the same for my left arm, and it rose with little problems. I rose up then, and my neck didn't stab with pain… though it did ache, I managed to sit up and stretch my neck out, and it felt good to do so.

"Awesome, truly awesome." I commented proudly.

Cynthia, who was apparently in some kind of deep thought, was out of her trance. She stared at me for a second. Once she saw the Pokéball in my hand, though, she appeared to have figured it out.

"Well, I guess you'll be able to stand after all… it would normally take someone a couple of days to be able to walk again." Cynthia observed, stating the obvious.

I filed the information in my mind for later. I picked up my PDA and double-checked the mail message. Blaziken was reading this message, titled "Come and get it", but just to be safe, I read it over again anyway.

**Eric Claid,**

**I already know it was you that broke into my room. And I have found sources stating that you managed to survive. So, you can color me impressed that you've got some allies able to save your sorry little ass. I'm pretty sure you want answers, about the boy, about his recently made Shadow Pokémon, and especially about what that little Pokémon twerp saw. If you want to find out, then see me at the arena at the expected time. If you've been paying attention, I'm your next opponent. I hope you bring your best, kiddo, because this battle might be your last.**

**Leeroy.**

**P.S. By the way, you won't be the only one to lose in this, because this isn't some private tournament, after all.**

I paused at the rest of the letter. "Next opponent…?" I said, looking up at the lineups board displayed on the television. Sure enough, Leeroy was my next opponent in the Semifinals in the lineup. "So this was what you wanted to hide, huh, Blaziken?" I said, a hint of distaste in my voice. Blaziken didn't respond immediately. I looked at Alakazam, but he was meditating over at the far left corner of the room where I was facing.

"Aren't you thinking that perhaps you might be going a little too far with this?" Blaziken asked. "That note about the battle being your last… you nearly got killed just getting into that bastard's room. Now you want to confront him?"

"Dude, he bullied an innocent kid, and he made his partners into Shadow Pokémon." I retorted. "I will not stand for that!"

"But what about you?" He protested. "Aren't you afraid to die!?"

"I've got you guys with me, we can do anything together, remember?"

"I wouldn't think that way if I were you…" Lucario notated. "The way you're talking, you say that you'll be fine as long as your Pokémon are with you. But what about the other way around?"

"What…?" I didn't understand.

"You nearly got killed when we tried to get into Leeroy's room, and you really would have been dead if not for Alakazam." Cynthia told me. "But that was an isolated incident, this won't be the same. What would you be able to do to save your Pokémon if they were struck to a critical condition… hanging on by a thread, in front of hundreds of spectators and even more that are watching television. How would you save them without resistance from the referee and such?"

It dawned on me then what the message meant, this entire tournament was televised so far. This trainer I'm about to face plans to do more than just beat me in front of thousands of people watching. He plans to take more than just my pride, my glory, and perhaps my reputation of being tough.

Leeroy plans to kill me in public. He plans to take my life and anyone else that gets in his way, especially my Pokémon. I'm not the only one going to lose, I'm not only going to lose my life. Kevin, Syrus, and everyone at Kanto, will lose a comrade and a treasured friend.

If I went along with this, I have more than I can afford to lose at stake. On the other hand, if I didn't go along with this, I might never get answers about the guy who's impersonating me. I might never find out how Shadow Pokémon have reappeared in the world… especially since the group that created them, Cipher, is gone for good.

I froze, overwhelmed with what stakes were in front of me. I really wanted answers to so many questions that I've been having ever since Ho-oh first contacted me. However, I knew better than to act selfish and put my friends at risk for something I want.

I grew quiet again. I suppose it was probably smarter to just simply duck out of the tournament altogether. These answers might be answered when I arrive at Ekruteak City anyways. I gave it another moment's thought, and I sighed. "Alright, I get it now. I'll be sure to send a resignation mail to the captain." I said, coming to my decision rather grudgingly. "I guess these answers aren't worth risking lives for."

A second later, I felt a chill in the air. A sense of dread crept up within and I just knew something was wrong. Another feeling crossed my mind, and I then looked at the door to the room. Gengar was standing in front of the closed door, now opening to reveal a Ratata… no, Joey's Ratata and Venomoth.

"These answers aren't worth fighting for, huh?" Gengar taunted. "Maybe you're as weak as Leeroy says, Claid. Hee hehehehehe."

"Say what you want, Gengar, but this fight ain't worth lives over." I declared, "I may want answers, and Leeroy might be able to give them if I won, but at what cost? These answers are not worth my friends hides, so forget it!"

"Hah! So you want to preserve your friends' lives instead of learning more about your fate." The Ghost type delinquent crowed. "That's a hell of a shame, because Leeroy doesn't want you to back down. He wants you gone, boy, and if the promise of knowledge isn't enough, then you tell me what's worth fighting for!"

"Perhaps it's the lives of your friends that you care for more." Venomoth added.

"What was that!?" I demanded. Before I knew what happened next, something was restraining me in place. Venomoth hovered at the door, and in a single flap of its wings, blasted a wave of yellow powder into the room. I lost all feeling in my body, and upon looking at the rest of the room, Riolu, Cynthia, Alakazam and everyone else was down. It occurred to me then what hit me.

"Stun Spore!?" I yelped. "NO!!"

The door opened, and it was none other than Leeroy standing at the entrance. The smirk on his face, his purple eyes glinted with a sinister red, it all gave me a sense of fear.

"Oh, we won't kill you here, it wouldn't be as much fun." He said, snickering. "I plan to make you regret the day you ever shown your disgusting face to me again. Trainers like you make me sick, and for trash like that to get a good reputation? No… I plan to humiliate you, you little shit, and THEN I'll kill you… slowly."

The implanted sense of fear became real. _This guy's a lunatic!_ I thought, freaked. _Shadow Pokémon are one thing, but to mutilate me and who I am?_

"Recover!" I commanded.

"Wecovuh!" a voice… Riolu, said at the same time.

The feeling of paralysis faded away, and I was able to move again. When I looked at Riolu, though, fear for him grew in me as he began to stand up. _How the hell did he use Recover??_

"Hmm?" Leeroy looked away from me. An instant blur of movement, and Gengar had Riolu, restraining him as he was walking towards the door.

"No, Riolu!" I tried to leap at Gengar, but something knocked me back. Riolu, held back from running, thrashed and yelled in an effort to break free.

"You're a big movie watcher, so you know the deal." Leeroy said smugly. "You are going to follow through with this Battle, otherwise, your little runt will forget everything you said about friendship, or maybe just die with you."

Lucario, who was struggling to get up, had horror stained in his mind. "N-Noo! Leave. Him. Alone!"

Leeroy began laughing as he and his mind-controlled cronies disappeared.

"EWIC, BIG BWUDDA, HALLP!!" Riolu cried, thrashing and kicking as he tried to break free. "Lemme go!! Lemme go, you juuks!!"

I scrambled to my feet, and I shot towards the door after them. But instead of tackling them, I ran through them and into the railing of the boat. I looked backwards in panic, and what I saw was no more than a purple mist that dissipated into nothing. They were gone… and they took Riolu with them.

I was horrified… more than I was when I saw a Pokémon massacre on TV. I couldn't keep him from being taken, and the terror from Lucario as he thought what they might do to him wasn't helping. The horror changed into rage. I clenched my fist so tightly, I wondered briefly if it would burst aflame like Blaziken's knuckles.

"Riolu…" Lucario moaned. Without giving any warning, I yelled out as I shoved my fist into the metal wall beside the door. It was only when I saw the three inch deep dent in the surface that I remembered what physical differences I had from any ordinary person.

I summoned a Psycho Cut blade in my hand and stared at it. If I wanted to, I could make Leeroy regret what he was doing… I could concentrate this blade to be able to scar him for life, take off an ankle, or an arm. Somehow, it felt like it would make sense. But the more my anger left, the more I came to realize what I was just thinking.

I let go of the blade, and it disappeared from sight. I fell back on the wall, mentally exhausted and overall scared not just for Riolu's sake, but for my sake as well.

I felt a gentle hand rest on my shoulder. The expression in Cynthia's blue eyes and the sympathetic smile on her face felt reassuring. "We'll get him back, you know that." She told me. It didn't make me feel better, all that did was cause my sense of calm to break. The hand lifted off of my shoulders, and I began taking deep breaths, unable to hold in the fear anymore.

"I feel like I'm turning into something I don't want to be." I confessed. "I was just thinking of how I could make Leeroy pay for what he's doing. I imagined myself tearing off a limb so that he won't forget. I don't want to do this, to put my friends' lives at risk." I swung the side of my fist at the wall, putting enough restraint not to make another dent. "Lucario was right, he shouldn't have met me. He had a good idea that making friends with me would be bad news eventually. I'm sorry, I really am." I started fighting back tears.

"Eric…" Lucario said. "Ever since Riolu met you, he's looked up to you as his hero. I while you were resting, he never stopped telling me about your battle in round one."

I looked at him, his eyes were haunted, but his weak smile somehow made him appear to be mourning. I stared at the expression with a hollow expression. I knew that unless I rescue Riolu, that expression will haunt me for life.

I finally came to my decision. I looked at Blaziken and Alakazam, they nodded in agreement. I knelt down next to Lucario.

"Lucario, I'll get him." I said, my decision concrete. "I'll get Riolu back, and I'll let the bastard Leeroy know not to mess with my friends!"

"You better get him back." He said, hope glimmering in his eyes. "That's what heroes do. I don't care if you're in Team Rocket anymore. You're not that kind of person, you really do fit His ideal life."

I paused, trying to understand, but Cynthia just said "Ho-oh…" and then I got it.

"Promise, Eric." Lucario said, almost as if he were pleading. "Show Riolu the hero that I see in you." He raised his left paw, as if in the gesture to arm wrestle. I took it with my right hand, intending to make that pact, nodding. I got up, looked towards Blaziken and Alakazam, and I decided to make my decision clear.

"We'd better be ready, you two. Because this is more than just a tournament match." I stated. "We're going to make it perfectly clear to Leeroy that he doesn't mess with anyone like this. We'll get Riolu back, and we'll do this as a team.

Alakazam and Blaziken nodded, their smiles displaying confidence. I began to walk on my way, and as I was, I felt movement behind me. I turned around, caught a Pokéball in my hand, and noticed Lucario approaching me. I stared at Cynthia, who nodded and said "This is his fight, too. So you better make sure nothing happens to Lucario as well."

I acknowledged her, and continued onward.

_Hang in there, Riolu._ I thought, determined to rescue him. _I'm coming for you, just be tough._


	31. Chapter 30: Pokemon Unison!

Chapter 30: Pokémon Unison!

I heard my alias name being called out, I didn't care about it. I stood at the blue side of the arena, completely blank faced and with my gaze fixated on the other side. Leeroy stood on the other side, his face smug at knowing my being here. I glared at him, and tried to remind myself why I'm here, that this was no longer a battle for the tournament. I came here to rescue a friend that he kidnapped, and I promised his brother that I would keep him safe.

Leeroy lifted up a Pokéball, and casually tossed it into the air. The Pokémon was a large, brown colored bird with a naturally scruffy appearance, a long and narrow beak, and a wild look in it's eye. Fearow's attitude when it was out was instantly arrogant. He recognized me fairly quickly, and was taunting me as a result. Restraining myself from showing any sign of a grudge, I tossed the Pokéball and it opened, Alakazam levitated to my front right and noticed the anger in my thoughts as I settled a connection through telepathy.

_Hey, I know you're scared for Riolu's sake, but it won't help you if your anger gets in the way._ Alakazam reminded me.

_I still don't know if he's okay._ I said, taking a couple breaths to ease the rage. _I hope he can reach us somehow. It could help me know where he is._

I felt Alakazam's sense of hope wade through my mind. _If you lose your cool here, it won't make a difference. All we can do now is pray that he's safe._

I nodded as I tried to focus on the battle to come. I stared at Leeroy, and the confident look in his eyes made me feel uneasy. Just in case, I focused a minute amount of force into the inside of my head, giving my thoughts a sort of barrier. I took a deep breath, and I looked towards the arena in front of me.

"Begin!" the Referee declared, and the fight began. Fearow made one large push forward with his wings, and from it, dozens of waves from the attack Razor Wind hurtled toward Alakazam. When we moved aside from it, Fearow was charging fast. Alakazam floated above it, but I had to duck to avoid a collision.

"Hey, watch it!" I shouted.

Fearow swooped up in the air again, and readied a dive. I studied the direction Fearow was trying to go… but because he wasn't streamlined like many other birds, it was tough to get an estimate at least. Instead, I took a guess, and I stood poised for a dodge roll. Fearow flapped a couple times, sending another set of waves, and dove. I fought the urge to dive, but it turns out I guessed right. I dove fast enough to avoid being rammed directly, but the wing grazed my back. Rolling forward, it was expected for me to get up quickly, but I put on an irritated demeanor for the sake of the crowd.

"Watch where you're freaking aiming, bird brain!" I yelled before glancing at Alakazam. _Alright, I think I'm getting the idea now._

_What's the plan?_

_First and foremost, keep your distance from me. Leeroy will keep making attacks that look clumsy on purpose. Second, Fearow looks easy to counter, use Psycho Cut when he gets close, and if you can get a safe shot, Psybeam if possible._

_Got it._

Fearow flapped again and fewer shockwaves hurtled not at Alakazam, but at me! I jumped to the side, and my false irritation became false rage. I stomped my right foot repeatedly and thrust a fist in the air.

"God dammit, what the hell are you aiming at!?" I flared. I glanced briefly at the crowd, and the swarm of thoughts already became suspicious of Leeroy and Fearow. I looked at Fearow, and he looked at me, as if waiting for something.

"Psybeam, Fire!" I commanded. Alakazam crossed his two spoons, and a rainbow colored spear of light fired off towards Fearow. As figured, Fearow avoided it and charged again. This time, Leeroy made it certain who he aimed for, and Alakazam knew I expected it.

"Now, Alakazam, now!" I declared, mentally instructing him what to do. He appeared in front of Fearow, and with one of his spoons now formed with a psychic blade, slashed above Fearow. The enemy kept charging, and Alakazam appeared closer, and slashed with both spoon blades. Alakazam kept slashing for three more times, and when I knew I couldn't step aside, I twisted my upper body, and pushed myself off the ground in a rapid whirl.

I strangely thought of imagining it in some action movie, where time felt like it slowed down to me. There I was, rolling sideways in the air in a crazy jump dodge that I only pulled off in seconds. I followed the instinct to stick a foot out front before landing on my feet, stepping back to keep balance. Collecting my slightly spinning thoughts, I pointed upwards towards the brown blur and shouted "Chase with Psycho Cut, then finish with Psybeam!"

Fearow was rising from the dive, when Alakazam shot after him in pursuit. Lines of bright lavender flashed through Fearow as Alakazam made the final assault of the round. Up, down, three down right, left-right, then up on both sides of the body where the wings met the rest. Fearow got pushed back by something, and then Alakazam yelled out as he slashed down the middle with both Psycho Cut blades.

The quick glance in Fearow's mind shown him swearing madly in his sudden confusion in understanding what happened. "How the boy avoided me, why am I in pain everywhere, and what's going on"… the bird was scrambled. Then I saw a glimpse through Alakazam's eyes, of him charging Psybeam.

The look in Fearow's eyes weren't of wild arrogance, but of mere panic. Alakazam focused the energy at one point, the crossed spoons, and shot it forward with effort in one direction, like a rocket from it's launcher. I filed the method away, just in case.

My vision returned to my own eyes, Fearow was sent flying (pun intended) towards the opposite side of the field. The bird crashed next to Leeroy, belly-up and unconscious.

"Fearow is unable to battle, the winner is Alakazam!" the Referee announced to the crowd.

I stood there for a couple of seconds, feeling suspicious. This was too easy, I know Leeroy isn't throwing the match, but Fearow was doing the same thing he did last time, except he was aiming for Alakazam completely back then. Something's wrong here, like that was supposed to be a warm up or something.

"At least you're not the same loser as last time…" Leeroy jeered.

I recalled Alakazam and waited. Leeroy took his second Pokéball and tossed it, the Pokémon that came out brought back memories of last time. I stared at Masquerain, then at Leeroy. Leeroy seemed to have been enjoying this little trip down memory lane. I decided to play along, so I grabbed Blaziken's Pokéball and opened it.

I looked at Blaziken's face, and it didn't take long for him to realize what's happening. "Same as last time, huh?"

"No…" I said. "Not like last time, this time it's different."

Blaziken nodded with a hard-to-spot smirk on his beak-like face. His eyes glowed with confidence, and his thoughts were excited about how we can get back at the opponent. I couldn't blame him… the last time this same battle occurred, I was psychically caught off guard, causing me to make that fatal hesitation that cost me my chance at the Champion, Red (weird to be named after a color).

"Hey! There's something weird about this match!" someone shouted, the audience began murmuring and talking amongst each other.

Somehow, I knew what this meant. I looked at Leeroy, and cocked his head at me. The slight jumping of his shoulders told me he was finding this amusing.

"BEEP, BEEP, BEEP*

I jolted at the sound of my PDA going off. "Who would mail me at a—"

*BEPEPEEP, BEPEPEEP*

I stared at it in disbelief. A tone like that would indicate multiple messages. I opened my Inbox and found there were two new messages. One was from Kevin, another was Walter's, both sent at the same time.

**Hey!**

**You never told me you were taking part in a tourney! I got to watch the first match thanks to a friend recording it. Good Luck against that Leeroy dude!**

**Kevin.**

I finished Kevin's in seconds… then skimmmed through Walter's… but read it again when I realized what it said.

**Blaziken versus Masquerain… after Alakazam defeats Fearow…**

**I only know one other battle like that. I'm already hearing questions about that combination of matchups. It's only a matter of time, Eric Claid, that someone's going to unveil the news openly.**

**Walter**

I looked at Leeroy after skimming the messages, his attitude was portraying amusement, but on the outside, he looked bored.

He Referee, who appeared to snap out of a trance, glanced at both sides. After what felt like forever, he declared the battle to begin.

Masquerain started talking arrogantly to Blaziken, intentionally irritating him. Blaziken was fired up from the taunt, and he charged at the target. The first move was a Fire Punch that was avoided easily. Blaziken kicked behind him, but Masquerain just moved aside. His frustration at the bug Pokémon grew rapidly, if I didn't do something, the only thing different is how fast I'll lose.

_Hey, Blaziken, cool it!_ I said in thought. _you know how Taunt works. If they set you off, you'll be blindly attacking without thinking. Calm down, man._

He stopped trying to chase Masquerain, and just stood at the ready, facing me.

"Alright, follow Masquerain, just like last time!" I commanded, Blaziken looked left and right, but he knew what I meant. Masquerain kept circling around him with unpredictable rhythm, it was tough to get an idea when it could strike. Then, within seconds, Masquerain shot at Blaziken. He threw a fiery fist at the target, but the attacker spiraled around his arm and struck him acrossed the face before he registerred what happened.

I should have expected this. Nothing's going to be the same as last time, and I need to remember that. Masquerain began circling around Blaziken again, and this time, it charged from behind.

_Backhand it!_I commanded, then as Blaziken was swinging, Masquerain spiraled again. _FIRE!_

Thankfully without hesitation, the next thing I saw was Masquerain spiraling next to his head, before being swallowed up in a stream of fire.

"Yaaargh!" Masquerain cried, surprised and in pain.

The look on Leeroy's face changed from arrogant, to interested, he wasn't going to get the same result if he kept this up.

Blaziken jumped backwards toward me. His focus was in the battle, and I was glad of it. Last time, he got distracted because of me, but this time we'll get them.

_Blaziken, this time, we'll be taking precautions on this. Next time you try slamming someone early, yell out beforehand. And if I get cut off while trying to issue a command, play defensive. Dodge, block, anything that keeps you in the game. Got it?_

I read his mind for the response, and he understood. Just then, though, I began feeling an weird chill in my spine. I glanced behind me, but nothing was there. I returned to the battle, and Masquerain was being more cautious. Zipping irregularly to avoid being predictable.

The chill in my spine got stronger, it was as if something was sneaking up on me, I ignored it.

"Blaziken, stay on your toes!" I warned. "Something's wrong here, I can feel it."

The crowd was going nuts. Was it because they knew who I really was? The chill was beginning to make me nervous, causing me to tremble a little bit. _Damn, what's wrong with me?_ I thought, my heartbeat accelerating. _My heart is pounding, like I'm supposed to run. But…_ I shook my head and tried to shake off the feeling.

Masquerain shot off Psybeam, aimed at Blaziken's chest. Upon mental instruction, Blaziken sidestepped and leapt towards Masquerain, landing in front and landed a dropping Blaze Kick on it at a forward angle. The target bounced on the ground like a ball with bug wings, and this was where it counted.

_Okay, now wait for a second, then use Fire Spin on Masquerain, ignore my verbal cutoff._ This time, I was ready for it.

"Blaziken, finish it with Fire Pu--!" Right on cue, the fuzziness hit my mind. I closed my eyes and tried to focus everything not on trying to see, but on charging the barrier in my mind. My head quickly began tingling, I felt the charge in a small amount, then I unleashed the pent up energy in one psychic shockwave. When I opened my eyes, everything flashed white before I saw a blur of a human figure seemingly clutching it's head.

Next thing that came into view was a funnel of fire… no, a spiral of fire, Fire Spin! Once the fire was gone, Masquerain was toasted, but alive. As a result of the attack, it fell from midair onto the floor, knocked out.

My psychic effort caused me to lose wind, so I stood there panting softly for air as the Referee glanced at Masquerain for a second. "Masquerain is unable to battle, the Winner is Blaziken!" he declared.

I felt it easier to ignore the chill that's been stuck in my spine for the second half of that battle. "Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Leeroy. But if you think that Psychic Sabotage shit can happen twice, then you're underestimating my ability to adjust!"

He stared at Masquerain in alarm, and glared at me. "How'd you do that!? How could trash like you block me!?" I didn't answer, but I grabbed Blaziken's Pokéball and juggled it in my hand with a smile on my face.

"ANSWER ME, ERIC CLAID!!" Leeroy yelled.

The crowd gasped, in the classic scene of public revealation. My smile grew proud, and it was right then that I summoned Blaziken's Pokéform. The crowd was apparently awestruck with my appearance, because I heard the classic lines, such as "whoa" or "wow" and such. I figured I'd make this look good, so I made my answer clear.

"Well… if you demand an answer." I said. "Let's just say that I not only take after my Pokémon partners, I learn from them as well…" I decided to set him off and make him lose his cool. "Though let me ask you something, Leeroy." The chill in my spine was beginning to peak, my heart was pounding, but I went on. "when this Battle began, you had such a smug face… did you really think your mind game could beat me again, is that why you look so pissed off?"

The look in his eye suddenly went from anger to madness. I lost my confidence, I lost the smile, and instead had the feeling of caution, almost to paranoia.

*Bu-Bump*

My senses were put on high tension, the chill in my spine was still peaking. I felt my senses make the sound of a heartbeat. Leeroy, madness in his eyes, appeared to look at me and begin laughing. As he was laughing, there was a shadow of a figure behind him, and it appeared to be carrying something.

I opened the Pokéball containing Lucario, he looked ahead, sensing something wrong.

The figure turned out to be a bipedal pig on the ground, it's ordinarily purple and black colors instead are a grey and black. It had a couple of jewels on it's front, and it's red eyes not only shown obedience, but little to no real will. When I looked at what it was carrying, I heard Lucario recoil. Grumpig was carrying an unconscious Riolu.

"No…" Blaziken moaned. The crowd gasped as they saw the Grumpig with the hostage. Then someone made an accusation that I didn't distinguish very well, and then the Crowd began jeering.

"Hey! What's the deal, punk?"

"Cheater! What do you got in your Pokeballs then!?"

I didn't focus on the crowd, but rather I focused on the Grumpig. It began levitating Riolu, and in a few seconds, he was hovering in the middle of the battlefield, in some purple colored bubble.

"Riolu…!" I uttered.

"HAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Leeroy's laughter gave me the creeps, because it was the laugh of a madman. "HA HA, YOU KNOW WHAT!? SCREW IT, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, YOU HEAR ME!?!! YOU. WILL. DIIIIIEEEEE!!!"

I followed an instinct to duck, and as I did, I saw a silver blade swing at the space where my neck was. I rolled forward, then wheeled around. The attacker was a Scyther… the same Scyther that I barely saw when I was poisoned!

"What!? I thought you're dead!" I cried, remembering the Psycho Cut blade through it's head, before it disappeared.

"You think you can kill these Pokémon permanently!?" Leeroy crowed maniacally. "These Pokémon are the TRUE Shadow Pokémon in the world. You may think you're killing them, but they will come back!!" he laughed again, relishing the fear in my expression. "These troops., these Pokémon, They can't die!

"They can't… die?"

_**They cannot be die… because they're not alive…**_

I looked up, and I felt time had slowed down.

"_What do you mean, 'they're not alive'?" I said._

_[b] Because the creature you see before you, is the shadow taking shape of a Pokémon. It will have similar limitations as the original Pokémon, but never forget that it is no more than a ghost copy…[b]_

"_ghost copy…? I don't understand."_

_**It's what you humans would call… a Decoy.**_

_Then it hit me… this thing's not even real! They're nothing more than carbon shells of an original Pokémon! It was like that Electabuzz said before… they "look like the real deal"._

_**Trust your companions, Eric Claid… and may your sacred fire burn fierce…**_

_Sacred Fire… so that was Ho-oh!?_

_My pendant glowed brightly, and with it Blaziken's Pokeball was a glowing orange sphere. I grabbed the ball, and then I felt a train of thought drift through my mind._

_Pokémon…Unison…… Blaziken…_

"Poké…" I hesitated, but with renewed confidence from somewhere, I clutched the shining Pokéball. "Pokémon Unison, Blaziken!"

As soon as I said it, an orange light seemed to envelop everything… but when I felt a familiar presence, I relaxed, feeling some kind of change occurring.

***

All the attention in the room stared at the orange light that engulfed Eric. Blaziken was not certain what Eric had said, but he was sure he heard his name. Lucario used his Aura Sight to look past the light towards Eric, but all he saw was a bright blue and light blue swirl. He concluded as if Eric's and Blaziken's Aura was mixing together, but to what product?

"_Pokémon Unison, Blaziken!" _Eric's voice echoed in Lucario's mind as he tried to understand. _Pokémon Unison, Eric's aura mixing with Blaziken's..._

The light dimmed, and for a second, the crowd was in a moment of confusion. Some were thinking the boy disappeared, others think he was replaced. Lucario, however, was stunned when his Aura Sight revealed the truth. Where Eric stood, was a Blaziken with his eyes closed. He had a darker shade of the Pokémon's natural colors, and a belt could still be seen on his waist, Pokéballs included. The eyes opened, and Lucario and Eric's Blaziken knew it was unmistakable. He had not disappeared; he was not replaced by this unique Blaziken.

Eric _is_ the Blaziken.

Eric blinked, and looked at his hands. Alarmed at his three fingered hands, he looked over himself, and it occurred to him what happened. He became his best friend, he's turned into a Blaziken.

"Hah… haha…" Leeroy said, catching his breath from all his laughing. "That's a fucking nice Costume, kid, but you're gonna die. YOU'RE ALL GONNA FUCKING DIIIIEEEE!!!" Upon yelling so, large groups of Pokémon appeared out of nowhere. Tyranitar, Electabuzz, Scyther, Hitmonchan, Mightyena, and Beedrill appeared in front of Eric and his two available allies.

"Whoa, isn't this quite a party." Eric said in a Blaziken's deepened, native voice. He grabbed a Pokéball in his belt and pressed the button to open them… but they didn't open.

"Huh?" Eric pressed the button two more times before realizing something's wrong. _Is it because I'm a Pokémon or something? _he thought. A sudden impulse and Eric ducked to avoid a Scyther's blade to the head. Instinct kicked in, he clenched his fist fiery and hooked Scyther in the jaw. A sickening sound of breaking bone, and Scyther disappeared, defeated. Then they all charged at once, large masses of attacking Pokémon against two Blazikens and a Lucario. Blaziken leapt backwards, regrouping with Eric and Lucario.

"Y'know, this might feel a little weird, knowing you look a lot like me." Blaziken said.

Four Beedrill and Hitmonchan were the first enemies to reach them, Eric swatted the first with the back of his fist. The second one stabbed at Eric, but only grazed the shoulder before getting punched.

Hitmonchan was on an assault at Blaziken, throwing punch after punch, using one of the three different elements in it's swings. Blaziken kept avoiding getting hit, but couldn't find an opening. Somewhere behind him, he got stuck by a pair of spikes, Stopping him cold to take a Thunderpunch to the chest. The spikes stabbed through his sides, as the punch stunned most of him. The pain, however, was enough for Blaziken to cry out.

Lucario fought against Tyranitar and Mightyena. Mightyena was zipping past Lucario fast enough for him to only barely keep up with. Tyranitar swing its tail at Lucario, Lucario jumped it, and Mightyena pounced. It's Fury Swipes clawing at Lucario in every place possible, then, bending it's body to give it momentum, Mightyena whirled around and whipped Lucario with it's tail, knocking him down in a spin.

Electabuzz was last to attack, charging at Eric with a orange charged Dynamicpunch. Eric, avoiding the two pairs of Twineedles from the two persistent Beedrill, only managed to dodge the punch because he saw it coming. The supercharged fist missed its original target, and instead connected with the Beedrill behind him. Feeling a pinprick on his neck, Eric found himself unable to move, stuck in a ducking position only to get hit by a vicious uppercut from Electabuzz. The punch sent him flying backwards, spinning backwards into the barrier's wall where the exit from the battleground was.

Eric staggered to his feet, Blaziken and Lucario fly backwards into the wall, and land on the floor. Eric's disappointment in his own stamina was portrayed when the Pokémon got up faster than he did. However, the feeling was brief as he began thinking of a way out.

"Nggh… hey, Blaziken… how do you use that fire of yours?" Eric asked, trying to catch his breath as the Pokémon advanced slowly. Blaziken told him, as he thought over what he could do.

"Lucario, what's your four primary attacks?" Eric murmered.

Lucario looked at him for a brief second. He knew something was brewing in his mind, but because he couldn't read minds, he couldn't be sure. "I've primarily used Earthquake, Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse and Force Palm… why?"

Eric paused, his eyes narrowing in thought. "How fast can you shoot out two Aura Spheres?"

Lucario became panicked as he noticed the lustful look on Leeroy's face and the enemy Pokémon slowly still advancing. _We don't have time for this, what's your idea?_ Lucario demanded.

Eric tried to smile with Blaziken's face as he explained the plan. He didn't say too much, and Blaziken nodded, whereas Lucario stared at him in disbelief. _That plan is crazy! _Lucario thought to himself. _Even if a plan like that were somehow possible, how the hell… what… what's this kid thinking?_

Eric and Blaziken stood up, confidence in their eyes. Lucario still stared at him, even as he got to his feet as well. _Is this really that same kid that pulled the giant fireball fiasco months before? It's no wonder they can't beat him, they can't even predict him._

The enemy stopped advancing, their dark, crimson red eyes glowing in front. Eric moved his eyes in Riolu's direction. The youngster was beginning to stir, but was still asleep. He looked at Blaziken, whose eyes were closed as he was collecting his focus, then opened them, gazing towards the enemy.

"Go." Eric said simply, signaling the attack to begin. He and Blaziken dashed forward, completely synchronized. Tyranitar stepped forward in the center and swept it's tail fast. From synchronized to a Mirrored act, Eric and Blaziken made a Jump-flip, spinning in the air in opposite directions and both blasting Flamethrower on Tyranitar. Electabuzz and Hitmonchan jumped back, and pulled back their fists, readying their Thunderpunch counterattacks. However, as they were ready to swing, two blue orbs of energy from Lucario's Aura Sphere struck them on the side, knocking them off balance. Eric and Blaziken landed, ceasing their flames, and quickly located their next targets. They dove away from each other at a twist, giving them both enough momentum to land a kick behind Electabuzz and Hitmonchan simultaneously, launching them into each other. At the same time, Lucario jumped over Tyranitar's blast of Hyper Beam. Following Eric's instruction, he landed on Tyranitar's shoulders, behind it's spiny head. He rested a paw on the top, and shut his eyes before he struck with Force Palm. Eric and Blaziken rolled upright, and in less than seconds, crushed the dazed Electabuzz and Hitmonchan with a Blaze Kick at full strength, one on each side.

Lucario flinched as he heard a loud cracking sound in Tyranitar's head. Eric winced as he heard a similar sound from the smashed up duo. The three dark Pokémon disintegrated into nothing, leaving only the trio in the immediate area. Eric began to pant slightly, amazed his plan got him out of trouble. Suddenly, an electrified fist shot out towards him, and as soon as he had enough reflex to avoid the attack, it only occurs to him that the fight isn't over. The attacker threw a second punch, and only when he blocked it did he find it as an Electabuzz, similar to the one he just defeated.

"What the--!" The Electabuzz swung its head forward and headbutted Eric, stunning him. Eric staggered back a step, then was slammed into the east wall by Electabuzz's Focus Punch. The audience reacted in surprise as the stands shook.

Meanwhile, Lucario stared forward as the evil Pokémon were appearing out of dark clouds. They were exactly the same copies of the Pokémon they defeated, save Mightyena, who didn't have any. Only when he glanced at Blaziken and Eric defeating each copy did he realize that the copies are just meant to wear them down.

Eric swung his elbow behind him, striking down the fifth Hitmonchan to charge at him. Something was wrong. _How is Leeroy using this many Pokémon?_ He thought. Glancing around, he spotted dark puffs of mist appear and reveal another copy. Not only that, but Leeroy's eyes appeared to be fixated on the position the copy came from. _could there be…?_ His thought trailed off as Blaziken jumped back next to him, worn out.

"Damn, man… how many clones…does this guy have?" Blaziken said, panting.

"I…I dunno, but… I'm going to… find out." Eric gasped.

Just then, Lucario already decided to test his theory. Dashing at top speed, he closed enough distance towards Leeroy before a Tyranitar blocked the way forward. Lucario jumped, and stepped over the Pokémon's head before it had time to react, and began charging Aura Sphere.

Leeroy looked up, and noticing something's coming in on the offensive, smirked and looked to his right. A Beedrill zipped in front, but was blasted away by a burst of fire. Lucario spotted Eric, his Blaziken body beat up from fighting the clones, nodding at him.

He looked back to aim for Leeroy, but the target wasn't there. Eric searched wildly for Leeroy, only to receive a white-hot pain stab him from the back of his right shoulder. It occurred to him then that Leeroy must have zipped up behind him when he was looking at Lucario. The pain seemed to intensify as it lingered.

"Ya know… seeing you as a Pokémon makes this a lot more fun." Leeroy hissed. "But I'll be sure to tell your buddies how you just demanded it to be over…"

Eric couldn't move, he couldn't figure out how, or why, but something about the pain caused him to freeze up. It was only by a sudden jerk to the right that caused him to move forward, away from the pain. As Eric fell forward, Blaziken began fighting against Leeroy.

Blaziken hadn't expected Leeroy to put up a fight against him. The enemy dodged his punches and swung back, but Blaziken blocked them, only to repeat the cycle. Blaziken then lashed out with a trip kick, but Leeroy hopped backward, avoiding a vulnerability from Blaziken's assault… except he ran into a paw from behind. The next thing he registered was all wind being knocked out from behind him. Lucario struck again with Force Palm, a blast of force was shoved through Leeroy's back. Leeroy staggered, and the dark clones around him sneered at him before disappearing.

Eric got to his feet. A flash of light, and he returned to his normal self, his clothes battered and torn in some spots. He straightened up, clutching his stinging shoulder and walked toward a stunned Leeroy. His gaze said that Force Palm must have done more expected, since he was still trying to recover from it. Eric took his hand away from, and when it felt the breeze, he looked at it to find blood on it. Also noticing the blood, Blaziken and Lucario looked at his shoulder, finding a bloody gash where Leeroy stabbed him.

Angry at Leeroy's trying to blackmail him to fighting for his life, Eric yelled out as he threw a left hook at Leeroy. A cracking sound was heard as Leeroy's nose was broken, and blood started trickling down to his mouth. Blaziken knew his best friend was angry, but never before had he gone this far.

"E-Eric…!" Lucario yelped, caught by surprise.

Eric clutched the front of Leeroy's shirt, a ferocity burned in his eyes that Blaziken rarely ever saw. "Alright, you son of a bitch… you've stolen a kid's Pokémon and put them through torture, you kidnapped a friend of mine, and threatened their lives to force me out here and risk mine. Now you tell me what I want to know!"

Leeroy groaned, his eyes beginning to fixate on Eric. Aggrivated, he carried Leeroy and slammed him against the wall.

"Eric!" Lucario protested, "You beat him, it's over, just let it go."

"Question number one: how the HELL did you find me here?" Eric interrogated brutally.

"Beh, hehe…" Leeroy sputtered. "Like any other Trainer would… through gossip, of course." Eric pressed him harder into the wall with his left fist. "Bullshit, Leeroy, I disappeared since the tournament those couple years ago. I ask again, HOW'D YOU FIND ME!?"

Leeroy grunted, and paused before answering. "_He_ told me where you were. He told me you've gained a reputation of being unpredictably tough, and he knew that I didn't like it, he told me he didn't like you either, and made me an offer to get rid of 'a piece of trash'."

Eric glared, but from what Blaziken found in his eyes, he was interested. "Go on…"

"He demonstrated to me what Shadow Pokémon were capable of doing. They obeyed you without any training, and they will destroy anything in their way. They were awesome, and anything saying otherwise is pathetic."

Eric pressed his fist further, and Leeroy winced from the pressure. "You know what, you little shit, that's really what makes you so pathetic to me now. I, unlike you, accepted Pokémon the way they were. I don't look for the most powerful and fastest Pokémon in the world like everyone else does. I'll usually pick Pokémon that I favor, and I'll help them overcome whatever problems they got. My Charizard is slow, so I help him get around faster. My Marshtomp is weak, I teach him of powerful move combos that can prove more powerful than ever. You're just like all the other real losers. You want to be strong, so you find the strongest creature out there. You think being mean to them will toughen them up, when all you're doing is mistreating 'em and demanding them to just motor through something as hard as they can… Trainers like you don't deserve a _fucking_ title, or even the _fucking_ right to be seen as some "strong Trainer". What you do deserve, is to be seen as a jerk. Plenty more, but nothing less than a jerk." He raised Leeroy slightly, his enraged expression becoming condescending, disgusted. "Now that my lecture is over. My second Question is: Who is Darkness Silvershade?"

"Darkness Silvershade?" Leeroy said with a scoff. "Never heard of 'im…"

Eric released Leeroy from his fist for only a second, only to lift him up with Psychic instead. He summoned a Psycho Cut blade, and stuck it in the wall next to Leeroy's head. Leeroy's expression turned pale.

"W-wait, I d-d-don't understand!" he stammered, terror of the psychic sword building. "I thought you already met him!"

Eric looked Leeroy straight in the eye. "How so…?"

"Wh-when he told me about you, he said he was 'disgusted that such a softhearted wimp could stand any chance against the power of the Shadows.' He said that 'these Pokémon have to power to overcome your fiercest of enemies with ease. But should you prove yourself useless, you won't like it.'"

Eric's blade glowed brighter. "He might be right, 'you might not like it'… now stop beating around the bush and tell me. 'Who is Darkness Silvershade?'"

"I told you!" Leeroy said fearfully. "I thought you met him—"

"and I told YOU: "HOW SO!?"

"B-because…" Leeroy gulped, and looked at the blade stuck in the wall.

A thought occurred to Eric. "Would he…" he murmured, "Be the guy impersonating me?"

"Impersonating you…?" Leeroy said softly "Claid, he _is_ you…"


	32. Chapter 31: Time to write

Chapter 31: Time to write

I shook my head. He was too scared, he's willing to say anything to get his ass saved. He won't tell me who the imposter is.

The Barrier began to fade away, it will no longer be a wall or barrier of any kind. It will just be nothing more than thin air.

I retracted the psychic blade from the wall and dropped Leeroy to the ground before walking away. Blaziken stared at me, his expression showing muted concern. I looked at him with a blank stare for a second, but my expression softened before I broke eye contact. I looked up and found Riolu beginning to wake up, and I levitated him into my arms before he fell from the disappearing barrier.

"Uhhh…" Riolu moaned, drowsy. He opened his eyes, and I felt an urge to burst into tears of relief. Leeroy, not one or so hours ago, this youngster's life was threatened of being extinguished. I would never bear to picture someone like Riolu, someone so lovable, to be lying on the ground dead. I smiled instead, and he looked at me in slight curiousity.

"Ewic?" he said, "Dat you?"

"Hey there, how ya doin'?" I said softly, just plain thankful this kid's OK.

He sat up on my arms, and he just hugged me. "I knew you would come, I knew you'd get dat Leewoy!"

I hugged him back with my left arm, "Yeah… I got 'im alright…" I patted him gently, and lowered him to the ground, ignoring the sting on my shoulder. "There's another person that's also glad you're safe." I nodded towards Lucario, and they both had their heartwarming reunion. Even the crowd felt pleased about two Pokémon siblings being back together.

I began to feel a little lightheaded from what I guessed was blood loss. I was very aware about the gash in my shoulder, and knew it was probably still bleeding. I chose this moment to use Recover. I stretched the shoulder, and had a small head rush once I was done. I beckoned everyone to come along, so that Lucario and Riolu could return to Cynthia, and the rest of us could get something to eat.

Just when I thought of Riolu returning to Cynthia, the Sinnoh champ appeared in front of me and a large Dragon-type Pokémon was carrying an unconscious boy on it's shoulders. I didn't recognize this Pokémon, though, so I stared at it for quite a bit.

More importantly than the unfamiliar Pokémon, though, was the fact that Joey wasn't too badly hurt. He had a few scratches and bruises, particularly a swollen right cheek, but otherwise, he was okay.

I looked back at the Pokémon. It was a bipedal Pokémon with a mostly blue hide, a red underbelly, and yellow marks on various places in it's side. The arms didn't yield hands, but seem to resemble either some really small wings, or very oddly placed fins. Looking at the head, however, resembles a lot like the Pokémon Sharpedo. Unlike Sharpedo, though, the head was more streamlined. From the looks of it, this Pokémon could probably pull on a very vicious Take Down.

The Pokémon looked back at me. "You zoned out or somethin', kid?" it asked. I must have been staring for too long, I blinked and snapped out of my trance before replying. "No, not zoned out… though I've never seen a Pokémon like you before."

The Pokémon smirked. "Heh, you've definitely got the bipolar kind of attitude. I saw what you did back there. Actually thought you'd gut that wimp, but you didn't and he wet his pants instead."

I took that comment irritably. "I am not bipolar. That was just personal." I paused, only just realizing that last part. "Wait, did he really wet himself?"

The Pokémon laughed. "Yep, damn thought I was losing my mind, getting threatened like that, and then wetting himself on TV. There's no way he'll pull that down."

I was blank-faced with cynical pleasure. "Justice." I said with a giant grin. "Pure justice…" After all that I went through, it felt nice to have a little something to make my day. I mulled on that thought for awhile. _yeeaah, that's right, Leeroy. You pissed me off, and you get to paaayyyy. By getting scared shitless to the point of wetting yourself._

The Pokémon laughed a little harder this time. "Oh, yeah. I knew you'd like that one, kid." Then the Pokémon looked at the unconscious Joey on its shoulders. "Speaking of kids, you'd be surprised who was with this one when Cynthia found him. Found him in a freezer down near the kitchen, and he was fast asleep when we got there. Can't understand why anyone would want to put this kid in the freezer. He don't look like he would hurt a Ratata."

"Particularly because he owns a—"then I remembered, Joey didn't have his Pokémon with him. Leeroy took them, and they were turned into Shadow Pokémon. I looked at Leeroy, and he appeared to have passed out. I sprinted over to his crumpled body, and I stifled a laugh when I discovered that, sure enough, he wet himself. Mightyena was still standing there, petrified or whatever, only a few feet from where I left Leeroy.

I checked his belt, and saw four Pokéballs visible from the front. I psychically rolled him slightly, and found two more, one on each side. I looked at Mightyena, and checked its mind to find out what's really going on.

_He said… they could defeat him. But something happened to Leeroy. What… what…_

"Wow…" I muttered. "I guess not everyone went mad with Leeroy." Then I had an idea and walked to Mightyena. I crouched down, still reading it's mind, and it was repeating the same thoughts… like some broken record. _Well…_ I thought. _if I want answers, I'd like some attention._

I snapped my fingers twice, and whistled loud. Mightyena jumped, and looked wildly, recoiling when it's eyes met mine. Mightyena froze into shudders, thought's scared about if I might kill it like those other Pokémon.

"I'll start this conversation with a 'no, I will not kill you like those other Pokémon _fakes_'. I stated, feeling better when Mightyena began to relax. "All I'm asking for is some answers."

Mightyena got nervous again. "Uh, D-didn't you get your answers from L-Leeroy?"

"Not all of them." I replied. "I only just remembered that three Pokémon he used against me weren't his. You appear to be close to Leeroy, so I want to know. Which of those six Pokéballs contain a Venomoth, Gengar, and a Ratata?"

"Umm…" Mightyena looked at Leeroy, blank-faced as it was trying to remember. "I know that two of the new ones, he kept behind him… but I'm not sure about…" it began mumbling for a few seconds… "I think it's that one on his side."

I levitated the two Pokéballs from the back of Leeroy's belt, then lifted a third from his left hip. I opened the third to check, and it wasn't any of the three Pokémon I was looking for… it was a KOed Fearow.

"Oops…" I recalled Fearow, and levitated the Ball back to Leeroy, placing it in his pocket. I levitated the other one and opened it… and Venomoth appeared. Venomoth jolted, and whirled around in mid-air and stared at Leeroy's unconscious form.

"You… you lived, hmm?" Venomoth said. "I apologize for disappointing you, but I believe there's one last thing that has to happen."

I stood at the ready. Statements like those aren't very hard to distinguish, something's going down.

"But you will have to die, boy." Venomoth flapped once more before opening the wings wider. Judging from last time, I took no chances. Quickly, I breathed in quickly and held it just as Stun Spore was blasted in my face. I shut my eyes, but kept my ears open, and at a moment's instant did I strike blindly at the first thing I heard. I opened my eyes to find out what I hit. Venomoth was stopped in midair, and frozen in place. Next thing that happened, she fell to the floor, and fainted.

I sighed and recalled Venomoth. I pocketed the three miniaturized Pokéballs and returned to the Pokémon carrying Joey.

"Hey, just out of curiosity, what are you Pokémon known as?" I asked the Pokémon.

"Garchomp, and you better not get on my bad side either, kid. Now since you know me, who're you?"

I took one more look of the entire body, thinking of the name. _Garchomp, huh? Fitting name, that's for sure._ "My name's Eric Claid. Nice to meet you, Garchomp."

Later on at lunch, the menu was modern western type. Most of it were the classics hardly anyone would not know of. Mac and cheese, pizza, chicken strips with fries, and steaks. Once again, the whole selection was an all-you-can-eat buffet, which finally made it clear to me that First-Class must really know how to eat big. Just like before, I aimed to get a table in the far back where there was a ton of open space. Once I was certain it was okay, I let everyone out, and I served Charizard before serving myself.

Over the course of mine (and apparently Blaziken's) feeding frenzy, I went through two-and-a-half piled plates of food, which was mostly mac and cheese with pizza, with the occaisional steak and basket of chicken with fries and two drinks. Blaziken appeared to prefer attacking the Steaks and Chicken, with a side order of any slice of pizza with lots of meat. I crossed my arms and rested my head on the table, trying to give the food time to get into my stomach. It was only by a couple pokes in the shoulder did I notice everyone else staring at Blaziken and I.

"What?" Blaziken and I said at the same time. "We're starving."

Charizard looked a bit creeped out. "Did… did you guys suddenly act the same, and steal my appetite?"

"Huh?" we said.

"Eric, Blaziken, you're acting too much alike, what's going on with you two?" Alakazam asked.

"This must be the longest game of Shadow ever played. It's weird how you two are so good at it." Marshtomp commented.

"Whaa?" we looked at each other, and then it occurred to me… we _were_ acting the same.

We stared at each other for a couple of seconds before returning to our food.

After lunch, we waited at the lobby to oversee the status of the tournament. Long story short, my next match was supposed to be the Final Round… but, the Trainer forfeit on me. He told me that he "might not stand a chance against me", but I knew better. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't want to face against a guy who fought for his life against more than seven or so Pokémon at once. I accepted the prize money out of respect for the host, despite the thought that I didn't really deserve it. After the quiet awards (as in no cheering, just clapping), I sat down in my room and buried my face into my hands, completely spent of all my energy. I opened Alakazam and Blaziken's Pokéballs, I needed some company.

"Hrrrg…" Blaziken moaned queasily. "Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much."

"Yeah, though while I don't feel sick, I feel tired…" I replied.

I paused for a moment and raised my head. Blaziken was feeling sick after all, and Alakzam was looking at the both of us. He crossed his arms and looked downwards. "Alright, you two, what happened back there?" he inquired irritably. "Charizard wasn't the only one thinking that Awards Assembly we all stood at was a little strange. EVERYONE was quiet, almost scared of you two. So you have some explaining to do, especially when I learned that the other finalist you were _supposed_ to face had dropped out."

I looked at Blaziken while he looked at me. It was unavoidable, and someone has to explain, so I took the time to tell Alakazam what happened when he was recalled at the match. When I was done, he stared at me, then looked down to appear to be searching the ground with his eyes. "You're… serious about becoming Blaziken?" he asked, with a tone of uncertainty.

I picked up Blaziken's Pokéball, and gazed at it. _It's weird, I'm finding myself uncertain if it was really real or not._ I thought to myself. _It all happened so fast, I hardly knew what I was really happening._

I raised the Ball in front of me, and I pictured Blaziken before saying "Pokéform, Blaziken." I felt the change occur, though it was more or less in a flash now. I ran my hand through my Blaziken-esque hair, and began wondering about what the other ability was.

"Pokémon Unison…" I mused to myself. I began to think about how it might work. "it was more than the Pokémon form, I didn't look like Blaziken, I _am_ Blaziken. But… how did I do it?"

"Well, maybe it's similar." The real Blaziken said. "Perhaps this 'Unison' works the same way." I looked at him, di he just say what I… "hold on, that's something I would…come up with." My voice trailed off. "It's melding our personalities bit by bit… or at least mine is melding with his."

"If that's the case, don't do it to Marshtomp…" Alakazam said, "I don't even want to think of you with his goofy attitude. But that's _if_ you are able to do it, this 'unison'."

I looked at Blaziken's Pokéball, and looked at him. He nodded, confirming that I should try this again. I stood up, took a breath, and focused on Blaziken's image.

_If this really is similar to Pokéform, then…_ "Pokémon Unison, Blaziken."

The Pokéball flashed in the same orange light as before, and the light enveloped me, forcing me to close my eyes. Seconds later, the light subsided and I opened my eyes to find Alakazam looking at me in awe. I looked at my hand and it was three fingered with what appeared to be brown bandages neatly wrapped into them. I clenched it into a fist, and it erupted in flames. Then I relaxed it, and the fire disappeared.

"Very interesting… so you weren't making it up." Alakazam commented.

"Wha--? You saying you didn't believe me?" I snapped, feeling offended.

"Of course I didn't believe you." He said flatly. "It sounded crazy. I learned to understand your gaining a fraction of our abilities because I saw it for myself. But to find you turning into Blaziken… I needed evidence."

"Hmph, well that's very trusting of you." I grumbled as I focused on my real self. Another glare of light, and I was back to my normal self. I laid back into the bed and sighed, my thoughts buzzing from what happened. One particular thought was focused on what Leeroy said when I asked him about Silvershade.

"_I told you!" Leeroy said fearfully. "I thought you met him— "_

"—_and I told YOU: 'HOW SO!?'"_

"_B-because…" Leeroy gulped, and looked at the blade stuck in the wall._

_I paused for a second, as something seemed to click in my mind. "Would he… be the guy impersonating me?"_

"_Impersonating you…?" Leeroy said softly "Claid, he __**is**__ you…"_

"Leeroy said Silvershade was me…" I said. "But, I don't understand how that could be possible. I mean, how could I have some dark doppelganger, some evil twin?"

"I dunno." Blaziken replied simply.

I began to give those words a bit of thought. When he said it, he sounded like he meant it. I went so far as to threaten his life… something that I thought I'd never do. I reflected back on what it felt like… I was so angry, I almost really did want to kill him. I felt like it was more than just a match for my life, but rather a fight to destroy something I find worth…

I took a deep breath, it occurred to me that perhaps Silvershade hinted that if Leeroy didn't kill me, maybe… maybe I might have killed him, in front of an entire crowd.

"_He said that 'these Pokémon have to power to overcome your fiercest of enemies with ease. But should you prove yourself useless to them, you won't like it.'"_

_My Psychic blade glowed brighter. "He might be right, 'you might not'…"_

I closed my eyes for a second, and now I became completely unsure what to believe.

"You think…" I paused, thinking I might be going mad. "You think there really might be another me? Could I actually have a dark double?"

"I…" Alakazam began. "I… don't know."

Blaziken sighed. "Who knows, maybe there might be. It is a possibility there could be dark doubles of ordinary people, just like there are Pokémon. Whether or not it's for sure, is anyone's guess."

Hearing something like that felt amusing for some reason. "Heh, you really are taking after me."

I picked up the Pokéball and smiled. "Well, whatever the case, I think we should be perfectly able to handle whatever challenge is thrown our way. Whether this Silvershade really is my dark side or not, we'll find out once we get to Ekruteak City, Johto."

I checked the clock, it was 8:24 PM and getting late. I told Blaziken and Alakazam it was time we turned in before I recalled them. I then put my Pokéballs in my belt, placed it in the desk drawer, locked my room door, and turned in.

* * *

The scout returned with the initial results of the attack. The news was already on, and the attack was on the headlines, so he already knew. However, it turned out that the boy was much stronger than expected. The feeling felt strangely familiar, though, as if the boy's surprise triumph was something he should have seen coming.

"Further," the Nincada scout said, "the first subject named Leeroy has been released from the darkness, he's confessed about all that he knew. Except when he explained who you were, Master, the boy didn't believe him."

Silvershade raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. _Interesting, so young Claid doesn't realize that Leeroy was telling the truth. Perhaps I might need to give him a little more persuasion._ he paused, then decided to keep testing the boy, to see if he is of any threat to his plans.

"Continue observing Claid, and if Ho-oh decides to let itself be known, attack him whenever it's isolated." He ordered. "and if there are any additional humans, eliminate them."

"Yes, Master Silvershade." The Nincada acknowledged, and it disappeared.

Silvershade felt amused as he stared at his copied hand. "Yessss, very strong body… damn strong… heh heh heh heh heh…"

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. It was almost as if the incident yesterday was only a bad dream, which was an awesome feeling. I checked the clock, 6:46 AM, and got dressed to go to breakfast.

We sat down at our usual spot, and Breakfast wasn't anything new at the buffet. Bacon, eggs, ham, rice, an assortment of cereal, oatmeal, grits, and finally orange juice or Moomoo Milk to drink. Blaziken took favor in the Bacon, ham, and rice; Marshtomp took grits with lots of cheese, Charizard targeted the Eggs with meat, Alakazam had oatmeal, and I personally just took some plain old cereal (the Flakes with Raisins, to be exact).

"Well, today's a new day, guys." I declared, "and today I plan to be a little better prepared for the future."

Everybody looked at me while eating. Marshtomp was the only one who said something (with his mouth full). Everyone else was sarcastically thinking about how this will be interesting.

"I recently came up with the idea that perhaps we should do some specialized training over the time we're going to be traveling to Ekruteak and back."

Blaziken swallowed what was in his mouth. "Specialized? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I've been figuring that we'll probably be battling for the duration of the trip." I explained, the rough draft of the idea still in my head. "So I came into thinking we should keep ourselves at our best, y'know?"

Alakazam smirked, and without warning, my bowl of cereal exploded in my face. The next thing I knew, my hair was dripping with milk and flakes of cereal were all over me. Everybody began laughing at me and Alakazam was shaking his head humorously. "Yeah, you keep working on how the regime will work out." He said. I sighed, feeling bummed how my hopes of learning some attacks from everyone might have to be put off.

After Breakfast, we went over to the area that was once the Battle Arena. Because the tournament ended yesterday, the area returned to being a pool again, which suited me just fine. It as early, too, so nobody was there as I tried my best to clean up. I took this as a chance to try practicing my psychic ability. Alakazam levitated nearby, and settled down on the ground beside me. I summoned a psychic bowl and levitated an orb of water. I tried to reshape the container to see if I could get it into something I could use. I paused for a moment, trying to think of something. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to make it so I could wash my hair without getting the rest of me, so I just released it and sat there.

"Need some help?" Alakazam asked.

I hesitated, I wanted to figure out how to do this myself, but I did need help.

"Y-yeah." I answered, and through me, he lifted an amount of water, and raised it towards my head. He focused the barrier and then pressed it against my forehead, and released the barrier on whatever was touching my head. Seconds later, my once milk dried hair was now submerged, whereas the rest of me was dry.

I mentally noted this, and then took over myself. I held this form for a about half a minute, then formed a tube to let the water out. I released the barrier and then what little water was left dropped on top of my head. I kinda felt a bit bad about what happened… I felt really hopeful about learning these Pokémon moves, but I didn't know how I could explain it to everyone. When I put my rough draft up, it turned out to be real awkward. So I began looking at the water, mulling over how I hope to approach this.

I had the feeling I was being read, and I only needed to focus on that feeling when I knew who was looking. Figuring my thought process would speak for me, I just simply let my eyes follow Marshtomp in the water and sighed.

"You must have been pretty excited from those few days, huh?" Alakazam inquired. I didn't respond, I began wondering if it was okay to just go outright with it.

"I suppose if you want to ask, then ask, Eric. Honestly, I was impressed when you turned into Blaziken. Though at the same time, I was concerned about what it meant."

I turned to look at him, "What do ya mean?"

"Well, I gave your story a little thought, and I'm noticing something strange about how you're gaining these abilities."

"Okay…?"

"You remember when you first gained Blaziken's Pokéform?"

I paused for a second, trying to remember when I first had Blaziken's form. "You mean back when that Dusknoir attacked?"

Alakazam shook his head. "it was Back at Prof. Oak's lab. When that odd substance seemed to consume you?"

I thought about that moment for a second, then it came back to me. The odd colored Drowzee, Cassidy and Butch's being busted, and the odd request from Oak. I especially remembered when the strange shadow suddenly just seemed to swallow me.

"Yeah… now I remember, there was that dark Drowzee, and the shadow." I commented.

"Okay… now, what about the second time? When you gained my form?"

"Was that the Dusknoir incident?"

He nodded. "Now, think about your story against Leeroy and those 'True Shadow Pokémon' he mentioned… what do they all have in common?"

I took the time to summarize them in my head… _In all those occurances, I seemed to be the target of them. I always wound up in some kind of trouble with some strange colored Pokémon, which I now know to be a new kind of Shadow Pokémon. In all of them, I was somehow able to get away alive…_

"I don't understand… what do you think is weird about it, Alakazam?"

"Your abilities, Eric. You gained them when you're facing down these types of enemies."

When I stopped to ponder about it, he had a point. When that shadow engulfed me, I came out of it in Blaziken's form. Then after taking a beating from Dusknoir, I fought back with Alakazam's psychic power. Finally, Leeroy was breaking the rules and law in order to kill me, and I walked out alive after fighting as a Blaziken—no, a _Unison_ of Blaziken.

"Okay, so, what's the point? These enemies are causing something to make me gain some kind of power…?" I still couldn't seem to piece together the puzzle, something felt missing.

Alakazam's stare hardened, and it began to look down toward my chest. He looked straight into my eyes, and he was serious. "Eric, you haven't noticed that there's one more thing linking all these new abilities you're getting? Something that you had long before these incidents ever happened?"

Then it dawned on me, and I reached into my shirt and pulled out the pendant necklace. "the Pendant? But how--… wait a minute." I never had much thought about it, but I began to realize that Ho-oh and my pendant might have something to do with it. It made sense, The Pendant was shining when I was swallowed by the shadow. There was that brief moment with Ho-oh in my mind when I learned about Pokeforms, and then Ho-oh told me what the True Shadows were before I performed Unison.

"Ho-oh…" I whispered.

Alakazam nodded, then he looked towards the scenery beyond the balcony. I got up and we teleported to the place, staring out at the sea.

"I've been thinking about all these things for a while, and only Blaziken and I know enough about you to be concerned." Alakazam stated. "and I've wondered about all this business we've been doing in Team Rocket."

I stared at the scenery at a bit of a trance, listening to Alakazam. I felt weird, staring out at the sea. It almost felt like the sea was freedom, with such a wide expanse to go, and I was stuck on this huge boat. I began reminiscing about everything Ho-oh said through telepathy.

"We've really come a long way, in Team Rocket and as friends." I said. "and I'm thankful that I get back at Leeroy yesterday, despite going overboard."

"Yeah…"

"But… that's what began to bug me." I frowned, concerned. "because I was so angry, and I was actually under some kind of thought to… kill… him"

"What?" Alakazam's eyes gazed at me in inquiry. I paused, but I needed to get this out of my chest.

"Truth is… I'm beginning to worry about who and what I am." I continued. "Is it Team Rocket and their evil methods that drive my behavior, is it all this stuff that's going on… is it Ho-oh, or is it something else? I'm seeing everything change around me, and whether it's for better or for worse…"

"Eric, listen…" Alakazam began. "Everyone changes, even humans like you. The difference is, it's not as easy to notice change in you compared to Pokémon like us. When we change drastically, it's usually in the form of Evolving to our next form and abilities. You humans can be hard to define. Because when you change, someone needs to really know you to spot these changes."

"Or you could be psychic and just say 'whoa, this guy is different.'" I joked.

"Eric, I'M psychic, and sometimes I still find it tough to know what's different about you." He retorted.

I stood quiet, and kept staring out into the sea. From out of the water, something popped out, and began floating around. Though it was slightly transparent, for some reason, like it was some kind of projection or illusion. The Pokémon appeared to look like that of a cat, except the feet were a bit big, like kangaroo feet. The Pokémon appeared blue, but the appearance contradicted it… I knew what the Pokémon was, I stared in wonder at seeing it.

The Pokémon was the Ancient Pokémon, Mew.

"Alakazam…" I whistpered. "Are you seeing…?

"Hmm?" I waited for Alakazam to see it. "I don't see anything."

The blue Mew turned and looked at me. I tilted my head as a gesture of curiousity, and it tilted the other way. Then the Mew appeared to be observing me closely. I began to focus, as if to reach out through telepathy.

*BWOOOOOOOSH*

Directly behind, water blasts me all of a sudden, making me jolt and shout out. I barely kept my gaze fixated on the Mew, who appeared to be thrashing about hysterically, like it was laughing… with no sound.

I whirled around, Blaziken and Marshtomp were laughing at the prank they just pulled. I ignored them and looked back, but the Mew was gone. I felt weird, it seemed like I was supposed to know who that Mew was. Despite my not seeing it before, I felt like something about me knew about it.

"hm, must be my imagination." I muttered to myself. I chose to go back to the room. Since there apparnetly wasn't anything interesting going on today.

Back in my room, I still felt oddly reminiscent about everything, and I figured I might as well write to Kevin about what's been going on.

**Hey there,**

**I guess you've probably seen the majority of what's been going on with me. But not a whole lot of wierdness is happening today, so I have time to write.**

**First things first, First Class was definitely worth more than I saved up for. I managed to get a nice and tidy room, I had extra privileges, such as an all-you-can-eat buffet, the ability to share my meals with Blaziken and co., and the right to be given a guaranteed choice at any contests and stuff. While I chose not to partake in the Pokémon contests, I took part in the battle tournament, which you saw.**

**Behind the scenes, though, was quite a story. After Round one, I saw a news bulletin of Shadow Pokémon making a return, and I heard about the news in Sinnoh just as I received that forwarded video. One of he combatants realized who I really was, and I went under an alias to avoid trouble, and explained it to him honestly. Thankfully, the kid understood I didn't want a commotion, and left with some pep. When it was round two, however, I not only got ambushed by what turned out to be a Shadow Pokémon, but the kid (named Joey) wasn't there for the match.**

**I snooped around for a bit, and found out that Leeroy was behind the corruption of Joey's Pokémon, along with a "Darkness Silvershade". When I found out, I was thankful I taught my Pokémon about medicine, because it wound up narrowly saving my life from a trap sprung in Leeroy's room.**

**I came to a bit later, and found myself staring at Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, who apparently was at the scene when I was attacked. We had a talk, and I was confronted by Leeroy, threatened to risk my life in round three for a gamble at Joey's. I took it, and the battle to come was beyond anything I ever felt… of course, I'd hope you've seen it when it was televised.**

**Well, now I finally have a chance to relax, knowing Joey's safe and his Pokémon, Leeroy's in detainment, and everyone's in one piece.**

**Talk to you later,**

**Phoenix**

Because of the character limit on the PDA letters, I had to break up the whole thing into separate parts, and label them as such. I paused for a moment, and figured I might as well write it just to get it out of my system.

**P.S.: oh yeah, Today, I think I might have saw a Mew. It was blue colored, though, and it seemed like some ghost projection or something. I dunno if it something a while ago or whatever, but it seemed strangely familiar. Oh well, unless something comes up, it might just be my imagination.**

I set up the chain to be sent in sequence, and hit SEND. Afterwards, I chose to take a nap, something I don't get very often, either by priority or otherwise.


	33. Chapter 32: Olivine City

Chapter 32: Olivine City

I was woken up by the intercom, announcing that we have made dock at Olivine City, Jhoto. I quickly packed up my things, and cleaned up my mess before leaving the room. I got out of the door, and heard my name being called behind me.

"Ewic! Heeeyy!" I turned around to find Riolu dashing towards me. Feeling glad the youngster was his cheerful self again, I knelt down and he jumped into a hug. I hugged him back, and noticed Cynthia and Lucario walking towards me. I looked at Riolu and smiled. "So, how've you been? You doing OK since yesterday?"

"Yep, Lucawio told me evwyting about what happened. You tuuning into Blaziken and fighting the bad guys, and you showed that Leewoy whose boss!" he cheered, he took a look at my shoulder. "How aww you? Your shouldah doing OK?"

"Mm-hmm, it's all better now. All I needed was a bath and some first-aid, and I was fine." I said, which wasn't completely true. All I actually needed was the move Recover and a new set of clothes and I'd be fine. But I took a shower before breakfast, just in case.

"That's good." He said, sighing while retaining his smile he got down and stood by Lucario and Cynthia. I stood up and Cynthia was smiling as well.

"So, you think you'll find your answers?" she asked.

"I hope so…" I replied quickly. "I still don't know who this Silvershade person is or why he wants me gone. All Leeroy said before fainting was that he's me, which I find hard to believe."

"We checked the map before we went to get you." Lucario said, smirking briefly when I noticed his choice of words. "Ekruteak City isn't too far away from here, so it might not be long now until you can meet Ho-oh face-to-face."

Riolu looked up at Cynthia, and after a paused glance at Lucario, she looked at me a bit reluctantly.

"Eric." She began. "Ever since yesterday, Riolu's been wanting to ask something, and I'm not going to object it, but I'm not sure if you'd be alright with it."

"Huh?" I stared in inquiry. _This sounds strange, coming from a Champion… don't they usually sound professional about what they're saying?_

"Ewic…" Riolu said, taking a breath. "Could I come with you on youua twip?"

I was taken aback at the request. Riolu was definitely a cute little guy, and he's definitely got potential with his rare psychic ability. But to find him asking if he could be a part of my team?

I looked at Lucario, because I was unsure if he felt comfortable with me being the youngster's Trainer. He nodded solemnly, and his mind knew I thought of when I interrogated Leeroy. I knelt down to meet his eyes.

"Alright, then. Welcome to the team, Riolu." I said with a cheerful demeanor.

"Weally?" Riolu shouted, excited. I nodded, and he began jumping for joy, cheering. He climbed up from my knee to my shoulders, wrapping his arms around my forehead while laughing. The moment felt too cute, so I chose to join in on the laughter, apparently as did Cynthia and Lucario. After a few seconds, Cynthia handed me a Pokéball and told me it was Riolu's. I let Riolu have a few more words with his brother, while I decided to talk to Cynthia.

"Now that I think about it, what kind of Pokémon is Garchomp? I've never met a Pokémon like it, so I suppose I'm a little curious about it, since I don't know a whole lot of the Sinnoh region."

Turns out, Garchomp is a dragon and ground type Pokémon. According to the Pokedex, when he runs fast enough, it's wings can make blades of wind that could fell trees. He's been known to be Cynthia's primary powerhouse, and only few times has he ever lost in battle.

While we were talking, I felt something tap my shoulder. When I heard "Mr. Claid", I turned around and a Sailor was standing there.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting off here?" the man asked. "We'll be leaving soon, and you'll be seen as a stowaway if you don't exit."

I felt kinda silly that I got so carried away in discussion. Riolu asked for a lift, and I let him climb up until he was standing on my shoulders. We said our farewells, and Riolu and his brother made a promise to each other.

"Big Bwudda, Next time I see you, I'll be big and stwong, just you wait!"

"Perhaps when we see each other again, it'll be in the sport of Pokémon Battling. Train hard, Riolu, and good luck!"

We left the Ferry and it sailed off into the horizon a couple minutes later. Riolu waved farewell as it disappeared from view, and then we took a moment to look over Olivine City… well, Riolu did, anyways. I personally couldn't stop staring at the lighthouse, it was really the one thing that makes Olivine unique to other port cities. Because there's rough terrain near the cliffside, that Lighthouse is important for guiding ferries and ships to the dock at night. During the Day, however, is a great tourist attraction, because the binoculars stationed at the top are great for seeing a great view of the Johto region.

I decided that before I leave for Ekruteak, I'll stop by the lighthouse for the view. But in the meantime, first things first, I needed to stop by the Pokémon Center. I told Riolu we'll be stopping to see Nurse Joy for a usual checkup, and I was rather surprised that Riolu doesn't know who she is. _I guess Cynthia's been tending to Riolu personally._ I thought to myself. _Either that, or Riolu's in his Pokéball when he gets his checkup._

Once I found it, Riolu looked around in wonder as the sliding glass doors to the Pokémon Center opened automatically. I then proceeded towards the counter and greeted Nurse Joy, whose sudden change in expression meant she recognized me.

"Oh, you're that Trainer that fought in the Tidal tournament, right?" she asked. I nodded, and introduced Riolu to her. "This is Nurse Joy. She's the nice lady who makes sure that Pokémon are healthy. If a Pokémon is sick, she'll help them get better."

"Hiya." Riolu said with a nod. Nurse Joy made a small giggle, and presented the tray I'm to put my Pokeballs in. I placed my four pokeballs into the tray, and she put them into the machine for their checkup. Then she pulled out a stethoscope, and I helped riolu onto the counter for his inspection. Riolu was deemed healthy, as were my other Pokémon (which was good, despite the food on the ferry being not-so-healthy) and Riolu slid down to wander around. He climbed up on a cushioned seat at the lobby, and bounced up and down on it, enjoying how it sinks when he sits on it.

"So, what happened in that second battle?" Nurse Joy asked. "Where'd you go when that second Blaziken appeared?"

"Yeah, why'd you run off in the middle of the fight, man?" someone said from my right. "Were you chicken or something?"

I looked to see who made the inquiry. The guy was about my age, and he wore a backwards cap with square-looking goggles on his forehead. He also appeared to be carrying what looks like a Pool stick with a shaft that can be retracted for portable means.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." I said simply. The kid raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Try me." He challenged. So I told them both the truth, and Nurse Joy was confused, and the kid thought I was nuts. "Yeeaahh, right. How about telling me the real truth, dude?"

Figuring the situation was hopeless, I began to ignore him. "believe what you want kid. Anyways, Thanks Nurse Joy. Have a good day."

I found Riolu looking at another trainer's Ratata, who was staring back in equal curiousity. I called for him, and he jogged over before I let him climb onto my shoulders again. I exited the Pokémon Center and passed by someone with red hair. The guy had a fairly arrogant expression, and apparently he looked disgusted at something. I continued onward and asked Riolu if he knows what a lighthouse is.

"I Wemembah seeing one back at Sinnoh." He said. "Cyntia told me tey guide ships safely to the dock."

"Yep, that's right." I replied. I walked us over to the end of the dock, and pointed to the cliffside. "Rough groups of rocks can cause ships to sink if they hit it. These Lighthouses make sure the ships don't hit the rocks at night."

"What about the daytime?" Riolu asked.

"That's what I hope to go there for, there are these binoculars that will allow someone to look at great views."

"Great views?"

"Better yet, I'll show you. C'mon."

I took us over to the Lighthouse, and we had to ride a small elevator. The Elevator stopped, and I walked toward one of the charge-free binoculars.

I lifted Riolu in front of one of the lens. "Go ahead, look through it." He put his eye in front of it, and gasped when he began looking through the entire thing.

"Hey, I see something!" he cried. I looked through it, and recognized the radio tower from Goldenrod City. "Yep, that's called the Goldenrod City 'Radio Tower'."

Riolu pointed to the next one, and I decided to let Marshtomp and Blaziken get something out of it. I grabbed their Pokeballs, and opened them. Riolu greeted them cheerfully.

Blaziken stopped, confused at seeing Riolu. "Weren't you supposed to be with Cynthia?"

With that, Riolu explained himself and Blaziken gave him a welcoming to the team.

Marshtomp was preoccupied with the binoculars to notice Riolu. Blaziken took a look through the binoculars, but got blasted by water from underneath. Marshtomp laughed at Blaziken for a couple seconds before he smacked him on the head with his fist. Riolu found the gesture funny, and Marshtomp didn't look happy. He tried to blast Riolu with a smaller Water Gun. He got the spurt in full blast, but laughed it off instead, which seemed to suit Marshtomp fine. I continued to another pair of binoculars, and looked through it.

"Ewic, what's dat towah?" Riolu asked. I didn't respond, though… the tower looked far-eastern, with what seem to be bells through the windows I took a look at the higher floors, towards the balcony at the top, and I found the same clear looking bells I saw in a dream before.

"Ewic?" Riolu murmered near me. I couldn't stop staring at it, though. This was my destination, this was where my answers for everything that's been happening to me await. This… was the Tin Tower, the tower dedicated to the Pokémon Ho-oh of Johto.

Something poked my head a couple times, and it occurred to me Riolu was poking me to get my attention. I broke out of my trance, and looked at Riolu. He repeated his question, and I explained it to him.

"Long time ago, there were two Pokémon of great power: one of Fire, and one of Psychic. In that time, human beings worshipped these Pokémon, as if they were sent down by divine beings to watch over them. These Pokémon were known as Ho-oh, and Lugia. From what I remember reading, sometime during those times, there were two towers built in honor of these Pokémon. However, something happened between Ho-oh and Lugia… and as a result, one of the Towers, which was said to worship Lugia, was destroyed by a fire. Now only a charred ruin remains of this burnt tower, and if legend serves, there are three Pokémon statues of three beasts who never escaped. The Tower that remains, is the tower of Ho-oh, more commonly known as the Tin Tower."

"You seemed to be hypanotized when you saw it, is it bad?" Riolu inquired.

I looked through the side of the binoculars and looked at the Tower again. "No… it's not a bad place… but it's someplace I hope on reaching. Because I've got questions to ask a certain someone."

"Who's that certain someone?" Marshtomp said.

"…Someone of high status…"

Marshtomp's stomach began to rumble. "Hey, where are we eating?" Just as he said, Blaziken's and my own stomachs began growling. It occurred to me I might have forgotten to eat lunch before I napped.

"Uhh, I checked my backpack for ingredients for anything, but all that were there were Pokeblocks of multiple flavors (that I made) and Pokémon snacks.

"I guess we'd better find someplace to eat, and while we're at it, restock at the Pokémart." I said. With my mind made up, we exited the lighthouse, and I looked around for the Pokemart. Instead, I found the guy in red hair passing by me again, towards the Lighthouse.

"That's the second time…" I muttered.

"Yea, what's his stowy?" Riolu added.

"Someone suspicious or something?" Blaziken asked.

"Apparently, I saw him walk by as we left the Pokémon Center." I wondered if he was looking for me.

"Well, once we find that Po—OH, Hey!" Marshtomp said, pointing. "There it is!"

Sure enough, the recognizable blue roof and the big MART sign at the window was visible. The single door slid open as I passed through. The cashier was bored, the only thing keeping his head up was his hand and wrist. I checked my pack to see what I'm missing, and got my supplies as such. When I came up to him, he was fast asleep. I nodded towards Blaziken

*FWEEEEET* I whistled, and the guy jolted. And I put my merchandise down on the table gave him a dulled face. "You know, it's dudes like you who could make a thief's day. Falling asleep and letting them take things." I said seriously. "I knew people that were real smart thieves, and this would be a one-hundred percent off sale to them." He scowled at me and shown me the amount required, which admittedly was pretty hefty a price. But I paid it, to his astonishment, and we left without saying a word. I then proceeded to look for a place to stay, and the hotel wasn't too hard to find (about a couple buildings down, at the northeastern corner of Olivine City).

"Hey, kid, how are ya?" a couple people shouted from behind, making us all jump. When I turned around. I knew immediately who I was looking at. The young, fiery-blonde woman was wearing a business dress, complete with low heels and square frameless glasses, and the green-haired dude was wearing the male equivalent (Suit, tie, shoes, and wearing brown squared framed spectacles).

"What do you want…?" I said irritably.

"We heard you're the famous Eric Claid that won that Battle Tournament on TV, right?" the lady said.

My eyes narrowed to lines as I paused at their lame disguise, and in the blink of an eye, plucked the pairs of glasses from their faces.

"Rockets Cassidy and Butch, I ask again. What do you want?" I spat.

"You know tem?" Riolu asked.

I looked up at him with my eyes. _yeah, they're part of this bad group that I've gotten mixed up in. But… because I've done my job, despite my not liking it, I have authority over them as a result._

"alright, do you really know how to be discrete?" Cassidy hissed.

"Sure, but unlike you, I also know how not to make a scene." I tried not to get too irritated in front of Riolu. "Now, for the third and final time: What. Do. You. Want…?"

"Kid." Butch began, "Did you really think your friends were the only Rockets to notice that fiasco on television? The Boss sent us to keep an eye on you and we're to report to him when anything out of the ordinary came around."

"Hmph, the only thing strange about it is how you two got here." I stated, "and if you haven't noticed, We're hungry. So unless you find something strange about my wanting to visit Ekruteak City for a vacation spot. Then I'd better get going."

I brought together an act as Goggles was walking towards me. "Sorry if I can't come to this program, but I've got plans. I'll be sure to tell my friends about it, though."

That's okay, have a nice day." They said, picking up on the act. And they walked away. Goggles stared at them for a moment.

"Hey, you staying here too?" he asked.

"I'm thinking about it… why?" Something felt odd about this guy.

"OK, just wondering." He replied. "Sooo, where'd ya go after the second Blaziken came?"

I stared at him line-eyed, maybe what was odd about him is his annoyance level. "I already told you that you wouldn't believe me even if I told you what happened." I explained, "But if you think asking me again is going to give you anything different, then you'll either get sarcasm or a sour look."

"Well, if you did turn into the Blaziken, then where's the costume?" he continued to interrogate.

"What?" I said, _Holy crap, this guy is BRAINDEAD! "Dude… there is a BIG difference between Dressing up as a Blaziken and actually turning into a--…_

I stopped when I saw him again. The guy with red hair stood next to the Pokémon Center, he was looking at me with his arms crossed. Upon a better look at his face, his greyish silver eyes appeared to be observing me, and for some reason, he looked strangely familiar. He almost looks like that one kid I read about while snooping around top secret Rocket files.

"wait a minute… I know that guy…"

"Huh?" Goggles turned around, the guy turned around and disappeared as he began to walk away. "What's up?"

I paused for a moment, and tried to make sure I wasn't seeing things. "Hey, Goggles…"

He looked back at me. "You know, Eric, if you wanted to know who I was, you could just ask."

I dismissed the comment. "Whatever, but… did you see a guy with red hair stand over there?"

"Red hair?" Goggles questioned, "Did he have a bit of an emo look, long sleeved shirt, long dark pants, and grey eyes?" I nodded.

"That must have been Silver, then. But he went missing a while ago." Goggles said.

Silver, that's what his name was! Yeah, I remember seeing his file, he was documented as Giovanni's missing son. There was a picture of him when he was two, and he had red hair with greyish-silver eyes. Giovanni told me a little about him once, said that I reminded him of Silver. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot of other information, aside from the fact that he defeated some mock-up of Team Rocket, called "Neo Team Rocket". In fact, other admins knew about Silver while I was a

Grunt, and they even said that Giovanni might have made Team Rocket to find Silver as well as their criminal stuff.

"So, um, What's ya real name, Goggles?" I only just remembered that Riolu was on top of my head. I relayed the question to him and he was resting his pool cue on his shoulder.

"The name's Gold. Nice to meetcha… or something like that." He stuck out his hand. I reached to shake it, but he pulled it back. "Oops, too slow."

I paused for another second, and stared at the goggles on his head. Then with a little bit of Psychic force, I pulled the goggles towards me, the bands stretching and Gold's eyes following them. I lowered then toward his eyes and released them, and they snapped onto his face. Gold yelped in surprise and I turned around to walk away.

"Hey, not cool, dude!" he said, but I ignored him and kept walking.

I checked in to the register and said I'll be staying for a night. I paid the cashier and I got my key, I walked upstairs and put the key in. I stopped, however, when I felt that chill in my spine. Since that incident, I learned to know what it meant. I looked up from the keyhole and then I felt a sharp point at the right of my neck. Riolu didn't yelp, but began to tremble as he noticed what it was.

"I figure that you want to talk." I said, not daring to try and move my head. "Otherwise my head would be rolling on the floor."

I looked to my right with my eyes, and a Scyther was standing there, one of it's arm blades raised.

"We have to admit that you have some admirable amount of power, boy." It said. "you have certainly put on quite a show, especially in saving the life of the little one on your shoulders"

"Leeroy said that Silvershade is me. What does it mean?" I interrogated.

"I'm not at liberty to tell you that. I'm just here to convey a message from our master." Scyther said.

"'Our master'?" I repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"'You're more than the eye can see, Eric Claid.'" Scyther continued, ignoring what I said. "'You not only managed to get out of there alive, but your power towards Ho-oh grows fast. However, if you think you will be able to defeat the shadow that lurks behind you every day, you're going to regret thinking it. You'll live for now… but should you find yourself against my cause, then I'll have to kill you.'"

Riolu began to moan as terror built up, his fear emanated brightly. I managed to keep my cool, despite how tense I was. "Tell your 'master' that I said 'Fine, I understand what you know, but perhaps you should come down here and face me yourself. I'm starting to think that Scythers are your only assassin Pokémon, and that's not good show.'" I stated.

Dark Scyther lowered it's blade, and looked me over. "The little one has good reason to be trembling, but it's surprising that you appear so calm."

I turned my head slightly to keep Riolu from falling off. "I'm a damn good actor, so despite the appearance, I'm really very tense right now. My signals are a twitch away from attacking. Now is there anything else you want to share, or are you going to deliver my message?"

Dark Scyther nodded slowly before disappearing in a black mist. I began panting, relieved that I can release my tension. I raised my hand and closed my fingers, which signified scissors cutting something.

As I figured, Cassidy and Butch stepped out from the door next door, and Butch was holding a camcorder with a microphone attached. Cassidy was staring at me, her face slightly pale, sweat was barely seen on the side of her forehead.

"S-sir…" Cassidy's mind said that she feared for my life, which was surprising to me. "Could you PLEASE explain what happened?"

I paused, thinking that it'd be best if they knew, but they would tell Giovanni. It's bad enough to find that someone's threatening my life, and it definitely won't help to find Giovanni going out of his way to keep a prized member at HQ. I figured if they're going to pursue me, I might as well tell them, but I had to force secrecy.

"Alright…" I said. "Come on, I'll make some lunch as well."

I opened the door and set my stuff down before walking off to get some ingredients for lunch.

Giovanni had only recently recived the recording from agents Cassidy and Butch. They told him that Eric planned to explain it all, and that he wants to swear them into secrecy. He gave it little thought and decided that the boy knows what he's doing.

"Keep to his word." Giovanni ordered, "if he says you can monitor him, keep to his terms. If there's a problem, then inform me."

"but Sir, that's just it." Agent Butch said. "He was talking to the Scyther as if he understood it. It's like he's one of those new 'supertrainers'."

Giovanni's attention became intent. "What are these… super trainers?"

"They're these new kind of Pokémon trainers that are appearing everywhere in the world." Agent Cassidy explained. "They've been recently known to gain these abilities based on the Pokémon they carry with them. Sir, they've been calling this ability 'Pokéform', or the ability to temporarily gain key abilities of their Pokémon."

"Hmm… are you telling me that Administrator Claid is one of these 'supertrainers'?" Giovanni interrogated.

"Actually, there's more with him, sir." Agent Butch spoke up. "Did you watch the current headlines in the news, sir?"

Giovanni pressed a button and turned on the big screen television. The news headline said "Rumored boy defeats massive Pokémon attack!"

"It is still unknown as to who this Eric Claid might be to the Pokémon and various Supertrainers around the globe." The reporter said. "However, speculation has began running wild since the incident yesterday on the S.S. Tidal, which was currently doing an extended trip to sail many Hoenn Passengers to the Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh regions." Giovanni continued to watch the headlines, interest glowing in his eyes. "During the Semifinals between a young trainer named Felix Phoenix, the suspect had begun to act peculier to officials. Eyewitnesses state that these two trainers were literally reenacting a battle between the suspect and the trainer among inquiry, Eric Claid. Durng this battle, Phoenix doesn't deny that he is in fact Eric Claid himself, and shows a mighty spectacle as the suspect summons a small army of mysterious Shadow Pokémon. What's even more interesting was Claid yelling out 'Pokemon Unison, Blaziken' before a light absorbed him and in his place, the pokémon Blaziken appeared, fighting alongside Eric's initial Blaziken and a Lucario."

Giovanni turned off the Television. And returned to the monitor, where Agents Cassidy and Butch were still online. Giovanni was pleased at what he saw, how a mere boy he found while spectating a tournament in his spare time could prove himself more useful than ever. However, he knew the boy long enough, and he can sniff out foul play very quickly.

"As I stated before, remain true to his word." Giovanni repeated. "Do not underestimate Claid's expertise at finding something suspicious, you should already have learned that when you met him."

"Yes sir." The agents acknowledged, and a sound of a door opening could be heard. The agents jumped and looked towards the right. It was evident, Eric Claid has returned."

* *

It was absolutely no surprise that I found Cassidy and Butch on their communications laptop. Pretty soon, they were going to have to report in on what they saw, and at this point, I didn't care.

Riolu was munching on a Pokéblock I made for him while I was at the store. The Cashier was impressed with my skill, so he gave me a 50% discount on all ingredients, saving me money for more groceries. I walked in to put down the groceries, and Cassidy tried to cut the communications. I stopped her, though, with psychic force in front of Giovanni.

I released Blaziken and asked him to keep Riolu occupied while I "take this call", he understood immediately and went to the small kitchen area with the youngster, still munching on his snack.

"Cassidy… Step aside, please." I commanded simply, and she did when I loosened my psychic grip on her hands.

I walked over to the monitor, Giovanni still on the line. I didn't start the conversation, but instead just nodded.

"You must have a very interesting vacation plan." He said, amused. "To take on a Battle tournament and face off against a gang of Pokémon near the end of it. So, have you anything to report, Administrator Claid?"

"Aside from the fact that all that happened was _not_ in my vacation plans, I only have one thing to report." I said, barely honest. "It turns out someone or something is trying to kill me. I interrogated the Trainer of the attacking Pokémon, and he said that his boss wanted me gone. I was not able to get any more details except the name 'Darkness Silvershade'… sir."

Giovanni would probably have a feeling I wasn't telling him the whole thing. But I had my reasons, and he knew me long enough to understand that, thankfully.

"Alright, I'll assume that you know what your doing. But I request that Agents Cassidy and Butch monitor your movements. As such, they are under your supervision." Giovanni said, using "Request" as his way of saying "Want". "I hope your vacation goes smoothly, good day."

"Good day, sir." I acknowledged, and I ended the transmission.

I looked at Cassidy and Butch, and sighed before going to the kitchen. I left my backpack outside of the kitchen, and figuring they would poke around, called upon Alakazam to keep an eye on them as I made lunch.

About a half an hour later, Lunch was finished, and I had to have Blaziken help me out in moving the single bed to make room for Charizard. When Lunch was served, it was nothing out of the ordinary for us. Lunch was honey-glazed ham with Mashed potatoes and gravy, Berry smoothies of various flavors were available, thanks to the variety in flavor, and there were Pokeblocks and Poffins on the side.

Cassidy and Butch, on the other hand, were very impressed at my cooking.

"Whoa, thish ish aweshome!" Cassidy said, ham still in her mouth before swallowing. "How'd you learn to cook like this?"

"runs in the family." I replied. "Giovanni already knows, so I was able to get permission to cook my own food in my room, on the requirements that I use my own stuff."

"'Runs in the family'?" Butch asked. "you tellin' me your parents were chefs?"

"I used to live with my parents in the Family restaurant, 'The Claid Lavaridge Variety' restaurant in Hoenn." I Explained. "I was always good at figuring out a Pokemon's taste in flavors, and I chose to do that to help my parents, I cooked the Pokémon their meals. As a result, I've grown very familiar with how they acted, and could accurately figure out what they tried to tell me. I eventually made a small chart that described what a Pokémon taste preferences could be labeled, and it only helped my parents that much more."

Cassidy and Butch looked at each other, and a quick peek into their minds showed that they never expected me to be such a nice kid.

Riolu took a nibble of the ham, and he immediately began to dig into the meat. "Tish ish good!" Riolu cheered with his mouth full, bits of meat flying out. He swallowed what he had and almost started to put his paw on the mashed potatoes before Alakazam stopped him to help with handling a spoon. Riolu took it up quickly and said he remembers Cynthia doing this before, and began spooning in mashed potatoes and gravy like the rest of us. I personally was rather impressed, whereas Cassidy and Butch were bewildered.

Of course, I smirked when I got the looks on their faces. "In case you're wondering, yeah, I taught my Pokémon human table manners. I find it surprising how people and Pokémon don't seem to eat at the same table, I find it rather comforting."

It turns out that they were both speechless. I had to look again to find that maybe I might have the right idea.

After lunch was finished, I made everyone a second serving of Berry Smoothies in case they got thirsty. Cassidy found a liking to sour smoothies, and Butch was neutral, so I shared some of mine. Despite being ordinary Grunts, they weren't really that bad to be around. Though one reason might be that I'm their superior and that they don't want to insult me. I kept that notion to myself and figured they should adjust on their own pace.

"Uhh, Sir…?" Cassidy said hesitantly. "I'm rather a little curious, but, was that you being the Blaziken?"

I paused for a couple seconds before looking at Blaziken himself. He looked back and thought about whether it's smart to tell them.

"Naww," Butch replied, "There's no way he could really become a Pokémon. Right?"

"Butch, think about it, if he were able to turn into a Pokémon, imagine what other thing he could do!" she claimed.

"Like Understanding each other?" Blaziken and I said at the same time.

Cassidy stopped, and looked at Blaziken. "What did he say?"

"The same thing." I replied simply.

"Do tey not undastand us, Ewic?" Riolu inquired.

"That's Right, Riolu… Cassidy and Butch aren't Supertrainers, so they can't understand what you guys are saying."

"So you're really one of them Supertrainers?" Butch asked, and I nodded.

"What's it like, being a supertrainer?" Cassidy asked.

Everyone, including Blaziken and co., were looking at me, I looked at each of the Pokemon's expressions, then I returned to Cassidy and Butch.

"It depends on your relationship with your Pokémon, I suppose. Me and my friends got along very well, so my becoming a Supertrainer made us closer, like family, y'know?"

Cassidy looked down in thought. Out of consideration, I didn't decide to read her this time. Riolu reached for another Pokeblock and began nibbling on it.

I looked at Blaziken again, and this time, he just rolled his eyes and shrugged. I_t's not like they're going to keep it secret. Once they find out, they'll blab._ he thought. _Better to get it over with then._

I got down from the table I was sitting on, the table-slash-dresser, and plucked Blaziken's Pokéball.

"Alright, you two. You want proof of what the news meant?" I said, raising the Pokéball and picturing myself in Blaziken's image. "Pokéunison, Blaziken."

A Flash of light, and I was Blaziken again. Everybody but Blaziken and Alakazam were staring at me in wonder. I looked at their expressions and I found myself dulled… with all the weird stuff that's been happening, looks of awe at me grew VERY old.

"He wasn't kidding. Eric, is that really you?" Cassidy said. I nodded, and pointed to the belt still on my waist.

I pictured my real self, and a light flashed again before I reappeared. "right now, I'm only able to take the appearance of Blaziken. I hope to try everyone else eventually."

Cassidy and Butch stared dumbstruck at each other. A peek into their minds revealed that they were imagining what this kind of ability would give them. They could have incredible power, and stealth missions would be next to child's play. They also imagined what kind of pleasure Giovanni would take on them if they gained this power… all of those thoughts, of course, were not too hard to figure (knowing these two, they'll request artificial means to be done somehow).

I checked the time, and figured we could all use a little time outside. I recalled Charizard since he couldn't fit through the doorway. And I had everyone follow. Riolu put the rest of the Pokeblock in his mouth before running to get a lift on my shoulders, and we all left Cassidy and Butch to themselves. As we left, however, I felt satisfied at knowing that when I closed the transmission, I caused the inside to fry with a little psychic effort. So even if they wanted to double cross me, they'd have a tough time doing with a busted contraption.

Once we were outside, I let Charizard stretch his wings for a little bit. I, on the other hand, felt like sitting on top of the Lighthouse. Riolu never saw the ocean from atop a lighthouse, and I admitted I haven't either, so I took the time to convince everyone to hang out over there. Besides, I'll bet the view is great.


	34. Chapter 33: Weak Minded

Chapter 33: Weak-minded

Almost everyone made it to the lighthouse roof, The only ones left were myself and Blaziken. Blaziken was looking at me ask he explained how he can manage his Jumping.

"OK, so how high do you plan to jump?" Blaziken asked.

"To the Lighthouse roof of course..." I replied, raising my eyebrow at such a silly question.

"No. Not where, how high do you plan to jump." he repeated himself.

"Uhhh..." I knew where, but it just occurred to me that he wanted to know how high it was from the Lighthouse roof. That, admittedly, I did not know.

"Alright, this'll likely be your first time jumping this high, so I'll stay with you until you get it down." Blaziken said. "alright, crouch down like you were to jump your highest."

he knelt down, both his feet still gripping the soil. I followed suit, and waited for his next step of how he did it.

"Alright, now before you jump, tense up your legs to build up strength." he instructed. "If you did get that trait from me, then the more you tense your legs, the higher you'll jump."

I stiffened my legs as he said. I tried not to make them too stiff, and on Blaziken's count, we pushed off the ground, and I felt like I was flying. I just went up, up, and up some more. Past the lighthouse, and into the view everyone was seeing. It was amazing, too, the sunset reflected the water like they were stained glass windo--

"Uh." the Lighthouse quickly began to rise, then I remembered I was still in the air... and that I was falling down.

"Uhhhhaaaaaaahhhh---AUGH!!" seconds later, I hit the ground with a *BOOM* on my back, the wind being blasted out of me. when I opened my eyes, my vision was warped, I was constantly seeing white speckles and blotches appearing and disappearing all over the place. after taking a moment to get out of the daze, I staggered to my feet only to find Marshtomp and Charizard laughing at me.

"YOU OKAY??" Riolu shouted from up top.

"Yeah! I'm Fine!" I called back.

"learn to pay attention, man. jump too high and you could really hurt yourself." Blaziken said.

"Yeah, Yeah." I grumbled.

I crouched down, stiffened my legs a little less, then I figured the hell with practice. I pushed forward and the roof became level to me. I hovered slightly in the air just over the surface, and I landed, almost neatly, onto the roof. I stepped forward, muttering "whoa." as I regained my balance to stop.

"Yaaayyyy. He did it!" Riolu cheered. Blaziken landed next to me with no problem, and crossed his arms.

"Ehh, I'll count that as a lucky estimate for now." Blaziken snickered, a smirk visible through his eyes. I leered, but I shook it off and sat down next to Riolu and Marshtomp.

The view was incredible, the scarlet-orange sunset was completely illuminating the seawater surface. the sky looked like a fire, with the sun burning fierce as it tries to stay in the sky. The Water began to sparkle as the waveds rippled and crashed against the cliffside. Riolu and marshtomp both looked onward in awe, Everyone else, myself included, merely just smiled. this view felt so beautiful, I felt like I took things like these for granted. I suppose that's what others feel when they manage to escape death, they suddenly treasure the little things in life like they might never see it again.

I suddenly remembered something from a game that I once played while I was at Club one time.

"Hey Riolu." I said. "Bet you don't know why the sun sets red."

"Huh?" he looked up at me.

"'You see, light is made up of different colors,'" I quoted. "'and out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.'"

"Ohhh..."

Marshtomp gave me a playful push in the leg. "'Like I asked, Know-it-all.'" he played along, quoting what was said next in the game.

Riolu looked clueless, and I shook my head, indicating it was an inside joke.

Then I felt something odd, like someone just joined us. I looked behind me, and I saw that blue Mew again. Like Riolu and Marshtomp, it was staring out at the view in awe, the searchful demeanor eyes gave me the impression that it never thought of looking up here. The Mew noticed me staring, and stared back, as if it were a staring contest. My eyes began to burn, and I blinked a few times. The Mew was still there, and was looking at Riolu.

_You again..._ I thought. _why do I... seem to know you somehow?_

The Mew looked at me with its.... his.... catlike blue eues. He looked around as if pondering the question. then appeared to--

_Hee hee, I dunno. maybe you were meant to know me... hee hee hee._

I heard a voice giggle in telepathy. I paused, briefly looking with my eyes, for the source. I knew quickly, though, the Mew was the one that spoke. my eyes slowly fell upon his, and his eyes began to look in two different directions, diverting his attention to two others.

"Ewic, Who's dat?" Riolu asked, making me jolt slightly. I looked at him, and he was pointing at Mew. I paused for a moment, Mew definitely looked it, being psychic and all that. For some reason, though, "Mew" only fits the description... like it was supposed to go under another name.

"I... don't know, really." I whispered.

"Dude?" Charizard looked at Mew, then at me. "What are you looking at?"

"Mew..." Blaziken replied. "a blue one, too."

"A Blue Mew?" Alakazam questioned. "You're telling me that whatever you're looking at is a Mew Shiner? That's rediculous, there's only one Mew in the world!"

I was silent, though, because Alakazam's right. just like all other Pokémon of Legend, there's usually only one of them in the world. to find two of them will usually mean one of a few things. One: the Pokémon is a Ditto, playing some kind of prank. Two: it's a psychic illusion, meant to trick me into believing something...or three: It might actually be real... that this might be a Shiner of the Ancient Pokémon, and it might be just observing me through some kind of psychic link.

There's just one problem with all of them, this Pokémon may look like Mew... but for whatever reason, something in my mind is telling me that he's under some other kind of name. What that name is, I will never know unless he tells me.

_So...umm, Who are you, exactly?_ I asked the Mew.

he smiled mischeviously. _I can't tell youuuu._ he said with a giggle.

_why not?_ I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow, gesturing a lack of understanding.

_Becaaaause..._ he teased. _If I told you nowwww, the world would end._

I stared blankly at the Mew. The WORLD would end, over a NAME?? Seriously, what kind of a stupid joke is that!? I'm going to trigger Ragnarok (The End of the World) if I were to satisfy my curiousity right here and now. That has got to be the dumbest excuse ever, even for an halfwit's standards...

_Well, it's nice to chat with you. Eric Claid._ the Mew said, a cheery expression pasted on his face. _See ya laterrrr!_

I only just realized he knew my name without my saying it before he faded away into thin air. I looked back at the view, the water began to turn violet purple for a minute before turning into a dark blue of the night sky. Sightseeing was over, and it was likely time to get ready for dinner, which was hopefully waiting to be cooked at the hotel room. Alakazam took the two youngsters down through Teleport, Charizard flew down, and I hesitated.

"You're good, Eric." Blaziken reminded me. "Just remember to crouch when you land, it helps slow you down fast. If you don't, well, you'll know..."

"Thanks..." I mumbled. in other words, crouch the instant I land, and I'll be fine. if my timing's off, I could crush my kneecaps, break my ankles, and cripple myself for life, Cheery.

"One for the money..." I said, trying to urge myself to jump down. "Two for the show... Three to get ready..." I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.

"GERONIMOOOOOOO!!" I yelled out as I jumped. The ground rushed up as I fell down, I bent my legs slightly to prepare for the shock. I gritted my teeth as I hit the ground, set for the worst. my legs folded quickly and I heard a loud *THUD* as my knees slammed down... but it didn't hurt. In fact, I was perfectly fine, and nothing hurt when I relaxed.

Blaziken landed next to me and got up fast, I slowly raised up, out of extreme caution. when I was on my feet, Blaziken patted me on the back, and I felt a little peeved. "Hey, you did pretty good for your first landing." he said as he followed everyone else.

I let out what's left of my breath in relief. I caught up with everyone and we all walked silently towards the hotel.

*whishishish*

something rustled in to my front left. Blaziken and Alakazam also turned their heads towards the noise. I felt like we were being watched... but not by those dark Pokémon. I didn't have any dangerous feeling this time, so I figured that it was probably some kid spying on me for something silly. I ignored the feeling, and continued towards the hotel. I checked in and the cashier said there were a couple of messages for me, one of them in particular was very..... wierd, or so he said. he left the messages in my room, to a couple saying they were my guests.

when i opened my room, sure enough, Cassidy and Butch were sitting on my bed, in casual clothes. Cassidy wore a white T-shirt with the logo of a Pokéball with "2 B A Master" on the top and her name on the bottom, and bright red and white shorts with the Buttons of the Pokéball on the top corner of her side pockets. Butch wore a Blue three-forths shirt with pictures of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle on the front with "MY JOURNEY BEGINS!" in yellow text, and on the bottom are simple blue jeans with a custom fade in sky blue on the knees and spots in his ankles. two backpacks sat there on the bed along with a laptop, which made me think they were looking something up before.

"Huh, you guys sure know how to play the part of a normal couple." I said, smiling. "Perhaps you two should make it real, see how it works."

They snorted it off, and I checked the top of the table-slash-dresser. Sure enough, there were two pieces of paper sitting on there, facedown and flat.

"Nothing of interest?" I said as I picked up the paper, glancing at the "couple" in inquiry.

"Actually, it's nothing we know about." Cassidy replied. I raised an eyebrow as I turned over the papers to read them. the first one was in code, and a code I recognized.

**eophxin: 4312765**

*BEEP-BEEP, BEEP-BEEP*

My PDA recieved a message from Kevin. I checked the letter, but the system popped a message saying this message is encrypted, requiring a password. I typed the password (phoenix) and the message popped up. I skimmed through it, and read it aloud for everyone to hear.

**Phoenix,**

**Something wierd's happening back here. one of the grunts were acting out in front of everyone, and when Syrus told him to stop, the grunt attacked him. he explained that some of the lesser members are going crazy, and they had to be kicked out before they could risk any harm. I was hanging around with some of the psychos, treading carefully, and they began talking about this Silvershade person you mentioned. I asked them who he is, and all I kept getting was "he is our new Boss".**

**I hope you're doing okay, dude. because everyone at Club is afraid to mention your name in public. Sam was almost beaten to death by a couple grunts who overheard her talking about you (she had wished you faced Cynthia in battle and was imagining the battle aloud). Even the Boss himself is concerned about what's going on, watching the news a little more frequently and occasionally watching people every now and then.**

**What's going on here? This is really starting to freak me out, and Darkness is talking about how you're close to finding your calling, or so the other Pokémon tell him.**

**Write back soon,**

**Kevin.**

I paused, trying to absorb the information in. _so Team Rocket grunts are under madness? why does that sound familiar...?_ It reminded me of Leeroy on the Ferry. when I was about to beat him in the tournament, I shown him the Blaziken-Form, and then he resorted to killing me, just as his Mightyena stood at the ready to fight. when he summoned those Truly Shadow... no, maybe I'll call them "Trushade"... so when he summoned the "Trushade" Pokémon, he began acting all loopy and stuff. Even his Mightyena was petrified with fear at finding his Trainer in a psychotic breakdown. could they have some kind of connection?

I heard Cassidy and Butch murmer about something, but I couldn't make it out very well to get it, so I turned to the next paper. I tried to read the paper... but it was printed in what looked like footprints of some kind, some parts of it were cut off, other times, it's tilted, but a couple times, I found a whole print. I checked the Strategy Memo in my PDA to find a match. the foot print simply looked like a talon of some kind, three toes forward, and one toe backward. when I checked the other symbol, it looked like some feathers were dipped in ink and planted there. I opened Alakazam's Pokéball, still staring at it.

"Got a message?" he asked, I noticed Cassidy and Butch staring in our direction, but I ignored them. I handed the paper to Alakazam. "Got this piece of paper with a wierd set of prints on it, you know what it means?"

"Let's see..." he levitated the paper in front of him, he seemed to have been skimming it, then he began to look very interested, saying "ahh" and "well..." as he observed it.

"Well? What is it?" I asked, beginning to feel impatient.

"These are footprint runes..." Alakazam replied in wonder. "...And it seems our writer is a Noctowl."

"Huh?" I couldn't seem to understand a thing he said. "Footprint runes, writer is a Noctowl, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Whaaa?" Cassidy and Butch said simultaneously.

Alakazam gave the couple an irritated leer. _Footprint runes are a very old form of writing that only Pokémon can understand._ He explained, looking at everyone. _Pokémon will use their footprints in a specific pattern to communicate to others. furthermore, while the footprints are different, the patterns have always been the same, so it's essentially the universal writing of us Pokémon._

"Well, I'll be damned..." I said.

_I haven't seen this writing in years, though._ he continued, returning to the paper. _Before I ever met you, I was educated in this form of writing... I forgot about it when I evolved into Kadabra, primarily because we hardly knew each other enough. Once I became who you see now, I remembered about the writing, but wondered how I could bother using it. It isn't common now, since only the most educated of Pokémon would write in their footprint runes._

"But you... can read it right?" I questioned, beginning to think he might not be able to read it.

"Hmph." he snorted as he read the runes.

"_**Human,**_

_**I know about your fate, and I have spotted enemy shadows lurking in the structure you rest in. Beware of anyone in there but your closest companions. The shadows will corrupt the minds of the weak and they will succumb to an organized madness, forced into a loyalty to a evil that has sought your potential since times of old. It would be wise to leave immediately for the city of the Sacred Fire, for many a shadow wouldn't dare set foot on such sacred land. Be ready, however, to face more than your closest friend, young one. Be ready... to face yourself.**_"

I gulped out of impulse as he read it again in telepathy for the couple's sake. Butch felt really nervous, while Cassidy was silent, but her eyes expressed fear as well. I exited out of the strategy memo and went to my inbox. I stared at Kevin's message, the topic saying "What's going on here!?" and had some idea that I'd be asking the same thing.

"T-The note is just a joke, right? Some prank?" Butch said, I looked at him in surprise. just a moment ago, Butch was perfectly neutral almost a minute before, but after he heard what the notes read, he's suddenly looking paranoid.

"Who knows for sure..." I said honestly. "All we do know is that we'll need to be rested up for tomorrow. I'm going to fly to Ekruteak on Charizard, and then I'm going to investigate about a personal case."

"What about us?" Cassidy asked. "We're supposed to be accompanying you, sir. It'd be disobeying the boss if we're not with you."

I figured they were going to ask something like that. "Didn't you follow me through some kind of transportation? you could use that transportation to keep up."

I checked Cassidy's brain to make sure and sure enough, they actually had a jeep out back in the woods near the hotel. I cocked my eyebrows, in a "didn't think about that, did ya" kind of expression. Cassidy felt embarrassed, Butch appeared to have just remembered.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you checked in a room nearby. But just because we're staying the night doesn't mean we're throwing caution to the wind." I laid out my plan, and Cassidy felt a little relaxed. Butch, for some reason, still looked fidgety. when I finally looked, his brain was explaining to itself that this was the first time that he had ever been in a life-or-death situation. It was very apparent he doesn't want to die, or even go crazy, like Kevin and Noctowl wrote.

The two agents left for their room once I was finished. I laid down atop the bed and looked at Alakazam, who was still reading the Pokémon letter.

"So, you think I might be asking for trouble?" I asked him.

Alakazam looked at me with his eyes. "most likely so." he answered. someone tells you there could be an assassin in the premesis, and you are considering letting whoever it is come at you." he looked back at the paper. "It's really not too surprising."

Well, perhaps that may be the case, but I'm still wondering about one other thing. What causes a Pokémon to try to communicate with me? I never knew Pokémon themselves would have their own actual system of writing, news like that would turn scientists minds upside down. but if there was a system like that all this time, what did the Pokémon that write it... well, what did they use it for? I felt like I was sinking into the pillows and the bed, I didn't give it too much thought there, and I relaxed as I drifted off...

***

Butch was laying in his half of the hotel bed, still distraught with the messages that Claid and his Alakazam read.

**The shadows will corrupt the minds of the weak and they will succumb to an organized madness, forced into a loyalty to a evil that has sought your potential since times of old.**

What did it mean when it said an evil sought his potential? he thought. And times of old? This is seriously more than I expected. Something was wrong with this freak when he was "talking" with that Scyther.

**...they began talking about this Silvershade person you mentioned. I asked them who he is, and all I kept getting was "he is our new Boss".**

He thought about how the new kid's letter was on topic with the Pokémon... these crazy people, and that Silvershade dude, all were mentioned by Claid. now word about all of them and these "Shadow Pokémon", whatever they are, is being big news.

"This is nuts..." Butch muttered, closing his eyes in an effort to get to sleep.

"hm? What was that...?" Cassidy moaned sleepily

"It's... it's the kid..."

Cassidy snorted softly, in disgust. "What about him? he's just a kid."

"Yeah, but..." Butch hesitated for a second, looking for the words. "Don't you wonder what kind of stuff we're stuck in? I mean, you saw that Scyther earlier. If Claid so much as twitched, it would have made the first time a Pokémon killed a human being like that. It could have cut off his head, and he didn't flinch."

Cassidy was silent. Butch was feeling better as he let his thoughts out of his system, but he was still unable to sleep. "I begin to wonder how he got so high up at his age. he should be some errant boy, but instead he's our superior? dang, I've been here for years, and he becomes an admin like that." random questions began popping into his head now. "and this 'land of he sacred fire', what's it like? maybe I should go there... just be some tourist or sometin'."

"Nah." Cassidy said.

"Hmm? Why not?" out of all the talking Butch said, this mention of what he assumes is a nickname for Ekruteak City, this name gets his partner's attention. "it might be someplace nice."

"'Cus I don't think he'd like that." she replied.

Butch was confused. uncertain who Cassidy referred to. "You mean Claid? but he plans on going--"

"Not Claid..." Cassidy interrupted in a bit of a moan.

"Uhh, do you mean the Boss?" Butch felt that something wasn't right, Cassidy suddenly felt different to him.

"Nuh-uh." she said lustfully.

Butch gulped, his fidgeting suddenly becoming an urge to make a bit of distance between him and Cassidy.

She rolled over, and Butch stared at her eyes, glazed over as if under hypnosis. she sat up, completely dressed in her uniform, and smiled in a method that made Butch's fear rise somehow. Butch could seem to stop staring at the eyes, though. her glazed eyes began to grow wider as she got off and slowly approached him.

Butch only continued to stare in confused fright as Cassidy's eyes blended with a reddish color, and the glaze on her was fading into a hint of craziness. he began to step back as she approached him, the madness becoming more apparent.

I-if i-i-it ain't the B-B-Boss..." Butch stammered, still unsure why he feels so scared of Cassidy. "Th-The-Then who do you m-m-mean?"

"Master..." Cassidy hissed, her tongue hanging out as if she wanted something. "Silvershaaade..." Cassidy dragged out the name as if it was someone important. Butch began to realize what the notes mean.

_**The shadows will corrupt the minds of the weak and they will succumb to an organized madness...**_

_Cassidy stepped forward, Butch bursted towards the exit behind her, but something clutched the back of his collar._

**_some of the lesser members are going crazy, and they had to be kicked out before they could risk any harm..._**

Butch slid out of his shirt and kept sprinting towards the door to safety. but something smacked him in the gut, causing him to topple backwards onto the floor. the next thing he realized, a solid hand had him at his throat, lifting him up and only holding him enough for him not to escape.

"Hey, there's a silver lining to all this." Cassidy whispered. "Master Silvershade will be more than happy to grant you your Shadow blessing."

Cassidy placed her fingers on Butch's face, and something cold felt like it was seeping in. it felt like it had a charge, and it occurred to him that this psychosis could be spread more than some belief or education. it was through literal corruption, a total brainwash. Butch stared at the door, it was so close, all he would have had to do was pass through it, and that kid would be able to help. the cold spread through his face, senses in his mind felt that this was

All hope felt like it as gone, all he could try now was to make the kid run. the cold was shaking his spine, practically the only thing keeping him there. Finally, he made his last effort, and hoped the kid would hear it.

"YAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH!!!"

***

"Ack!!" I woke up to a start, that scream sounded like it came from Butch. Alakazam was staring at the door, and I leapt out of bed.

"That Noctowl wasn't lying..." Alakazam said as I grabbed Blaziken and Marshtomp's Pokeballs. "The enemy is here!"

Blaziken and Marshtomp appeared behind me. "C'mon," I said, running for the door. Blaziken followed, and Marshtomp jumped on my back, arms wrapped around my neck.

Alakazam led the way to the door they stayed at, and wasn't surprised to find it locked. I reared up one leg and (while thinking I had always wanted to do this) kicked the door down with force I hardly recognized as mine.

the scene......was not exactly what I had in mind. a Machoke was grabbing Butch by the neck, and Cassidy... wait a minute, what IS she doing!?

"HEY, Leggo of him!" I commanded, the Machoke ignored me. I looked at Cassidy, smoothing her hand around Butch's face. she looked at me, her eyes flashing in temptation, I hesitated before speaking again. "You look like you're trying to get at him eight ways to Sunday, lady. If I look past that Machoke and find---"

Then something occurred to me... "Hold on, When did you have a Machoke?"

As if the Machoke was busted, it's free hand swung back and knocked me acrossed the face. I staggered back, and it turns out it let go of Butch and charged at me. Alakazam stopped it with Barrier, and I retaliated with a Slash of Psycho Cut. The Machoke disappeared, and I then knew, this was what I called a "Trushade".

Cassidy was still holding Butch, one arm wrapped around hin stomach area and the other hand were slithering around his cheek. Butch's expression was saying that something was happening to his head, explaining the look as if he was severely drugged.

"Cassidy, put him down, he should be okay now." I told her, but she didn't let him go. instead, Butch just began moaning, and I felt that chill again.

"Maassuh...muussuh Slllvuuushedd..."

Massuh...? that slur is so bad, I can hardly hear it. his eyes began to peep open, and they appeared as if he was hypnotized. Wait... Hypnosis...

"The shadows will corrupt the minds of the weak..." I said, remembering the pokémon note. "forced into a loyalty to a evil that has sought your potential since times of old." I paused for a second before I stared at Cassidy's blueish-green eyes. "Who's your boss?"

Cassidy's eyes became a crimson color. "Master Darkness Silvershade, why would I serve you or that Giovanni person?"

"So, you're under that..." I stopped, letting the sentance hang for her to finish in her own words.

"Blessing..." She finished with pride in her voice.

"Madness..." I said, finishing the sentance in my words.

"You're just a kid, you wouldn't understand the goodness of the Shadows." She taunted.

"Perhaps not," I admitted. "But I also know it's not good to impose it on others."

"Sometimes you have to be a bit forceful to help them realize that this blessing isn't as bad as it seems."

I glanced at Butch, and his eyes were beginning to show hints of madness seeping in. for some reason, though, something in his eyes felt frightened. they felt like they were fighting something... like trying to keep some kind of door from closing.

*Bu-Bump... Bu-Bump*

Time seemed to slow down around me. everything went dark for a couple seconds, then in front of me was a double doors. these doors, though, Haven't I seen these before?

These were the same doors that I saw in Walter back at the Ferry. I thought, now remembering clearly. I felt an urge to open the door as wide as I could, but I didn't know what it meant.

"...ut...ge.....f her..." a voice said, somewhat hard to distinguish, I walked closer to the door. It hit me then, that Butch might be on the other side of the closed door.

"Claid, I know you can read minds, get away from here, now!" the voice yelled. "Go, before they get you as well!"

I needed to make sure it was really him. "Butch? is that you?"

"What are you doing, standin' around!?" he continued. "Get away from here, kid!"

"Hold on, I'll see if I can get this door first!" I called back, with absolutely no clue why I was doing it. I clutched the handles, and I felt a cold charge in my hands. I recoiled, snatching my hands back, confused.

what in the--? a cold tingle? I thought. I shook it off and I felt determined to open this door, wherever it opens up to. I didn't even stop to think too much about why, but something told me I had to open this door. I dunno where this leads, but I'm going to find out, one way of another!

I grabbed the handles again, and the charge returned. I ignored it, and began to pull. the charge intensified, making my hands start the go numb, but I stayed steady, and kept pulling. I felt it going faster, and thought I was opening it. Except when I looked at my hands, I realized I was losing my grip. I tried to focus, some effort into trying to grip them.

*Bu-bump, Bu-bump*

My pendant began flashing... My hands regained feeling, and I tightened my grip on the large handles. The door made a loud *CLICK* as it began to open. Light poured through the cracks as they widened up. the warmth in my hands began fading as the doors began to close themselves.

"Gah." I clenched down and forced all I had into opening the door. My pendant flared, forcing me to close my eyes as I pulled the door apart. Then one gaint flash and I pulled the door open wide...

And then everything went white for a moment.


	35. Chapter 34: Fight off the Darkness

Chapter 34: Fight off the Darkness

I felt like I returned to where I was before, except my Pendant was shining brightly and hovering in front of me. I looked ahead, and Butch was face down on the ground, wheezing as if he was fatigued to an extreme.

Cassidy was clutching her eyes, apparently blinded by the bright glare. When she looked at me, she was not only crazy, she was pissed off.

"I don't know what the hell kind of stunt you pulled, you little brat…" She growled. "But I now understand why Master Silvershade wants you dead!"

_Why am I not surprised that Silvershade wants me dead…?_ I thought. Just then, I felt the chill hitting me, which warned me of trouble.

*BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOMBOOM*

The feeling magnified, and I slowly turned around as I found a yellow light growing brighter. Past the light, was the face of a Tyranitar. I felt frozen, and instead, I just realized that Cassidy was the one pulling the strings here.

"Ahh, hell n—" I said before the light fired off on me. It was like being grabbed by a someone in the gut, and pushed acrossed the room faster than he could run. Before I knew it, Hyper Beam blasted me into a tree outside, and the explosion burned me all over for a few seconds. The burning faded, only to be replaced by a a strong slam as I fell from the second story to ground floor facedown, where I lay there, too stunned to move.

Alakazam prodded my left shoulder with one of his spoons. I made a small groan to indicate I was still alive, then I forced myself painfully to my feet. My entire body ached, still recovering from the attack. Just then Cassidy appeared… with a Scizor, a Tyranitar, Two Sneasels and a large, black, bird-like Pokémon with what looks like a hat. I glanced over the new Pokémon and it reminded me of Murkrow, which was smaller, but also has a hat.

"that Leeroy had the right idea, trying to overwhelm you like that." Cassidy said. "The think he didn't think about was how to do it. All he tried was to rush you, he didn't consider using advanced battle abilities like my own."

"Hmph." I snorted, my voice using a little effort to say it with my usual calm. "Since when have you made any advanced Battle techniques?"

"Since right now." She swung her arm out and pointed at me. "You know what to do, boys. Kill 'em!"

The Sneasels zipped in front of me faster than I could blink. I only had enough time to flinch before they both swung a claw on my shoulders, one for each side. I felt a loud *BUMM* as I felt white hot pain in my shoulders, my legs buckled, and I would have fallen. But the Sneasels instead did a second strike at my chest, sending me flying into a tree trunk.

My mind was dazed, I couldn't think at all. All I saw were a sudden flash and a couple orange blurs in front of me. I tried to move my shoulders, but they began to hurt instead, I didn't know what was going on, and just then, everything felt clearer in my mind.

_Eric, Eric, you OK?_ Alakazam's telepathy said.

I groaned. _want to sleep… can't think or see…_ I responded, my vision and body feeling useless and limp.

_Those Brick Break attacks dislocated your shoulders. Give me a sec…_ I felt a sharp thrust and I cried out as a blast of pain shot through me. My vision was still fuzzy, and my mind was still almost blank and numb.

I felt a jolt in my head, and suddenly everything came into focus. One of the Trushade Sneasels just disappeared from Blaziken's Fire Punch in the back of the neck. Tyranitar was trying to hit Marshtomp, but his small size and trained agility helped him hop over most of it's attacks.

I got to my feet fast, and the Scizor leapt at us. I jumped aside, and the Dark colored Trushade swung hooks and tried to grab me with it's claw-slash-pincer-like hands. I stiffened up the muscles in my arms and focused on the arms. A claw shot forward, and I felt like it stuck there. Reacting in a flash, I grabbed the arm and whirled myself behind to grab the other one. I restrained the Scizor using a classic method of bringing it's armed behind it, and holding them together. I bent back, and doing so lifted the target with an old wrestling move. The target landed headfirst into the ground, I got up just in time to find an orange pillar slam on top. I winced and looked away for a second, then I looked back, and Charizard stood there.

I jolted at the sight. I didn't remember opening his Pokéball, I checked my belt, and it was missing.

"How…?" I started to say, trying to understand how Charizard was sent out.

"Psychic guy did it, wanted me to help you out." He lifted his tail, only an impression of some kind was all that's left of the Scizor. "Definitely new to me… thing just vanished from under my tail."

I looked towards Cassidy, and thought about Leeroy in the Ferry battle. Just like he was, all she needed was to stare at a spot, and one of those Trushades appeared from a brief black cloud. It didn't take long before I was charged by another Dark Scizor. I was ready this time, and I grabbed the first swing, whirled it around before letting go, causing it to stumble. Charizard slammed the target into a tree, leaving an indention as it stood stunned.

"Take over for me, I'm gonna stop Cassidy." I told him, while trying to figure out how I'm going to do that. I dashed off in Cassidy's direction. Everyone defended me as I charged forward a Sneasel appeared in front, but was shot off by a Flamethrower from my right.

I kept moving, another Scizor appeared directly in front of her. The next thing I realized, my foot was stepping on its shoulder, and I jumped over Cassidy. I aimed to stun her, maybe knock her out, and thought about what Machop told me on the best ways to disable someone.

"_You know how in those human movies of yours, a strong blow from behind will make someone stumble?" Machop said._

"_Yeah…?" I thought of how they did it, because I tried it before, but it didn't work out._

"_Well, ya might already know this, but it is actually something you can do for real."_

"_Really?"_

_He frowned at me. "You're kidding, you never hit someone hard enough from behind, and stunned 'em??"_

_I shook my head. "Well, before we began, I wasn't good enough of a—"_

"_OK, OK, OK…" he interrupted. "Listen, it's possible, all ya gotta do to stun someone is hit them hard, like close-to-a-tackle hard. But if ya really want it good. It works best if you can hit them from behind. Works best if you hit the upper area, 'cus it can knock the wind outta them, ya know what I mean?"_

"_Hmm…" I mentally noted this info._

"_Of course, if you hit them in the head, you could knock them out cold. But try not to hit 'em too hard, unless you wanna give them sometin' worse, like—"_

"_A concussion?" I finished._

_Machop sighed slightly, "Yeah, sometin' like that."_

I aimed for the upper back, and after a second's winding up, I saw my elbow make contact…

*FLASH*

I was suddenly at the underground HQ in Saffron City, and I was confused about how I got here. First I was fighting for my life, and attacking an enemy trainer, now I'm somewhere else? I began to look around, and I instantly began to see what was wrong.

The whole place looked decorated, as if the entire thing was fitted with some small bit of extra red and purple color. Before, the base would be filled with nothng but a cold grey scenery, typical for the Rockets. Now, it seems like some lady was redecorating the place. I found a door leading upstairs to the ground floor. But just as I reached for the handle, I found a plaque titled "MOTTO" on it. I felt a little nervous at the title, and started reading:

[b]_Prepare for trouble, and make it double!_

_To Protect the World from devastation, to unite all peoples within our nation._

_To denounce the evils of Truth and love, to extend our reach to the stars above._

_Team Rocket, Blasting off at the speed of light,_

_Surrender now, or prepare to fight!_[b]

My jaw dropped when I read the plaque. _you have GOT to be KIDDING ME!!_ I thought, dumbfounded. The so-called "motto" was actually a series of lines that Rocket Grunts Jessie and James recited when they made their presence known. As of right now, they, along with an English speaking Meowth, have been labeled as jokes in the face of all Team Rocket. Grunts even called them "the Rocket Comedy" because they hardly got anything right nowadays.

"HEY, What are you doing, standing around!?" a voice yelled from behind me.

I spun around, and only found some grunt standing at the bottom of the stairs. I frowned at him and just stared. I reached to grab Marshtomp's Pokéball from the back of my belt. But when I got to where it's placed, nothing was there. I kept my face, staring at him while trying not to appear confused.

_ugh, of all the times, I wind up without Pokémon here?_ I thought, finding this as the lowest stroke of luck.

The grunt looked at me for a second time, as if he only figured something out. "Wait, you're that new admin kid, aren't you."

I nodded with a stern expression. "What's the deal here, who's in charge of this redecorating?"

The Grunt appeared surprised. "Didn't you know? New Executive Jessie ordered it."

I must be hallucinating. "Wait, who??"

"New Executive Jessie…" he repeated.

I barked a laugh suddenly, I must be going mad. Jessie of all people, is a rank HIGHER than me? I've been well educated in the ranks of Team Rocket, Grunts are the lowest, Admins control the Grunts, Giovanni's the leader. And then we have his second in command people, known as executives. Only the truly best of the best would earn the title of executive, so it's hardly any surprise that nobody has seen one. Last I heard, the four executives of Team Rocket are now Gym Leaders of the Kanto Pokémon League. Sabrina of Saffron, Lt. Surge of Vermillion, Koga of Fuschia, and Blaine of Cinnabar Island. These trainers' jobs as executives were still classified even beyond MY reach, so even I don't know what they did back then, and odds are they won't tell me either.

So, Executives are essentially top dogs in the ranks… but Jessie!? I'm amazed she isn't discharged already, being hot tempered and one with a rivalry with

Cassidy.

I turned away and headed out the door, and what wasn't better to be there than Cassidy herself… scrubbing the floor.

I stopped and stared at her. Only a few minutes ago, she was a victim of some spreading madness with the Trushade dark Pokémon, now she's suddenly on maid duty?? She turned around to work on the floor behind her, and towards me, and only then did I realize… that she was crying.

"it's not fair… how could _she_ do better than me?" she grumbled.

I approached her while she was working. "Cassidy, that you?"

Cassidy looked up, tears still welled up in her eyes. Her expression flipped from sadness to rage. "What do YOU want!?"

I was taken aback from the ferocity in her voice, it wasn't hard to notice someone feels miserable… and despite the fact that Cassidy and Butch are getting close to Jessie and James' level of failure, I felt sorry for Cassidy right now. "Alright, I'm not sure what's happened to you, but what was the last thing you remember before being here."

"what does it matter?" she whined. "all you're doing is softening me up, only to get hurt by her." she oozed hatred towards Jessie as saying the last word. She returned to her cleaning. Saying various complaints to herself.

"Maybe I'll go talk to Jessie myse—" I said, but as I was turning around, my foot came into contact with something, and the next thing I knew, some orange liquid was spilled on the floor. Cassidy snapped towards the mess, and she glared at me.

"where did that…?" I started to say until I heard a laugh from my right. Jessie stood there with a ladies business suit, something I wouldn't expect from her.

"Oops, looks like there's another mess you have to clean up." Jessie taunted. "Get to it!"

Cassidy said nothing. I was outraged, I've known Jessie for awhile, and while she'll relish every pleasure, this is too far.

Besides… There's something about her that feels off.

"Now hold on a minute, Jessie!" I retorted

"Executive Jessie…" she said, trying to correct me. I ignored her and kept going.

"Now how the hell did you make Executive?" I demanded. "If you were to become admin, everyone would have known. Now you become even higher? Show me evidence of your accomplishments!"

"Why would I need to show YOU my documents?" Jessie looked disgusted, but I had this in the bag.

"Easy!" I declared. "Because otherwise, I will have the right to accuse you of being a fraud! You won't have any evidence of how you got to Executive, and then people will begin to wonder how you became where you are."

Jessie faltered, I glanced at Cassidy who was looking up at me, her eyes detecting a glimmer of optimism. She stood up and shot over at Jessie.

"You don't even have any documents, do ya?" Cassidy accused, a torturous pleasure seething in her voice.

Jessie stepped back, and just as she did I heard a loud *CLICK* in my head.

She looked at a grunt passing by. "Hey, you!" the grunt turned. "Get my documents of promotion from my office," the grunt acknowledged her, and walked off hurredly.

"So what, you're not going to show us right now?" Cassidy taunted.

"And get them ruined!? No Way!" Jessie snapped, stopping Cassidy. I made a facepalm gesture, disgusted that Cassidy didn't bust this excuse.

"Didn't I just accuse you of fraud?" I asked, Cassidy picked up on it, and without warning got in Jessie's face. Clutching the collar of the suit with both hands, it was pretty clear that she wanted to strangle her. Just as she was about to, a couple grunts began to try and restrain her.

Something felt weird, then. Like I needed to do something. I looked at Jessie, and I would have sworn I saw a transparent door closing. The door looked like that one I saw with--…

Wait! Door, Closing, Cassidy! I charged the grunts and knocked them out with a couple blows. Just then, Cassidy came at Jessie again, and the door began opening. Then with a right hook, Cassidy knocked Jessie to the ground, and the Door--.

*FLASH*

The Elbow had hit home and Cassidy went down. The Trushades disappeared, and Marshtomp and crew were looking at Cassidy. Blaziken, however, was staring at a Typhlosion walking towards us, and behind him… Gold.

I felt suddenly dizzy for a second, and fell down on my butt. I shook off the haze in my head, got up, and looked around. It was still dark all around me, so it must still be nighttime.

"Hooo… Sooo, you decided to fight off the darkness at a cost of rest?"

I looked up in the tree, and a Noctowl was perched on the branch above.

"Noctowl…" a bell began ringing in my head. OH, Wait-a-sec! "Are you the one who sent me that…"

"Hooo! I am… and I'm thankful someone could read it." Noctowl nodded to Alakazam. "But furthermore, you freed the other human from her Shadow Corruption."

I looked at the unconscious Cassidy, then back at Noctowl. Freed her from corruption? Really? "I don't understand. How have I freed her from corruption?"

"When you tried to attack her, you remember suddenly being taken to another place, right?" Noctowl hooted.

I thought of the altered Saffron underground and lobby of what appeared to be Silph Co. I remembered Jessie in her ladies business suit, Cassidy on maid duty, and my standing up for her.

"When one becomes fully seduced into the shadow's grasp, Hooo, they shall experience what they fear most. This fear will twist itself to make itself feel real to the victim. Hooo! Only through outside help of a powerful mind, or the Sacred Fire, can the victim hope to be free."

"What they fear most, you mean like their worst nightmare." I said, still trying to grasp the concept.

"If that's how you interperet it." Noctowl said with another hoot. "it manifests as what they fear the most. Without help, however, they won't be able to face their fears."

"Hmm…" I thought it over. "So, in this conquering a person's fears… what's this door that appears?"

"Hooo? Door?" Noctowl tilted it's head. "I do not know of any door…"

"Oh, okay…"

I paused for a couple seconds. I felt tired. I hardly got any sleep tonight, and I'm not exactly in the best condition in the world. I'm still sore from the battle against Leeroy and now those Sneasels have just made me want to rest more.

But why do I still have this gut feeling… that something's not done yet?

"Hm…?" Noctowl looked past me, I turned and found Cassidy coming to. She sat up, and almost immediately, turned to face me.

"C-Claid?"

I didn't respond, something was wrong here.

Cassidy looked down in what appears to be shame. Her thoughts confirmed that she assumed I was upset with her for fighting me. I sensed a hint of tension in the air, I stood still and tried to listen hard.

*TSEEEEWWWWW*

I whirled around, my mind recognizing that sound. I sidestepped just in time to avoid a Psybeam aimed where my back was. I flashed back on the previous time that attack was shot.

"_NUGH!" I grunted as I felt as if I was on fire. My body burned inside and out, and then I discovered the attack to be a concentrated Psybeam…_

_The Psybeam ended, and I fell back onto the metal floor of the chopper, wide-eyed and unable to move._

"That's the third time it happened." I said to myself. I looked past the beam to spot the attacker, but the light came from behind the trees. I couldn't see who it was without a flashlight or something. The rainbow light faded away as soon as it came, and odds are, so was the would-be assailant.

"Hooo!! What was that all about!?" Noctowl hooted. "Someone must be after you!"

"Yeah…" I murmured.

I heard footsteps running towards us. Butch was up and about, and fully dressed (thankfully). He rushed to Cassidy's side and asked if she was OK. Still silent, however, she merely nodded. And Butch looked a her with sympathy, something I never saw in him.

I _guess even though they're collegues, there's still some sense of friendship in Team Rocket._ I thought solemnly. _Sometimes I wonder what happens to the Pokémon we steal… do they get sold off, or is it something else?_

"Ngh…Grrrah!" a voice grunted nearby. I looked around, and the voice seemed to have come from the woods. Someone stepped out, and the shadow lifted to reveal… Cassidy!?

"What in the--!!" I blurted out. I snapped my gaze at Cassidy lying on the ground, then I looked at the Cassidy standing in the woods. It was right then did I notice there was a difference. That the one standing up had red eyes, and the other didn't.

Gold began to laugh with a stunned look. "Whoa-ho-ho, nice twin, lady!"

Cassidy looked up and scrabbled away. She expressed horror for some reason, though. I mean, it's just some imposter standing there, what's so scary about that?

"You…!" Fake Cassidy growled. "Stopping the blessing from waking others… you'll pay for that…!"

"Pay?" I said, mocking the imposter. "Okay, I'll pay, you want cash or change? And how much?"

"GRAAAHH!!" she shrieked, and charged straight at me. I stepped aside and elbowed her from behind, causing her to fall forward.

"Alright, playtime's over." I spoke to the imposter. "Who are you, really?"

"Ngh, Guh…" she grunted, then she began to laugh wildly. "if it were a snake Pokémon, it would have bitten you, boy. I'm that woman's mirror image, and I'm not anyone else but her."

I raised an eyebrow, and stared at her expression. _hmm, she sounds like she means it. But you can't have two of the same people in one place, it's not naturally possible. This lady's stubborn in lying when the jig is up._ I crossed my arms. _weirdo…_

"whatever, lady, but I'm going to have to call the authorities and accuse you of attempted identity theft." I said. "They say the sentence is pretty harsh, you really sure you want to keep up this act?"

Butch looked at me in surprise, and I kept my gaze on the fake Cassidy.

"Hah, you really think those pathetic authorities can stop the blessings or corruption?" Fake Cassidy barked. "They'll surrender to it faster than you can see it coming."

"Huh, so you're another psycho trainer." I couldn't get off how weird this felt. "Well, if you want to really prove that you're the so-called 'real Cassidy', then you--."

"I'm nothing like her, I'm so much better!" Fake Cassidy snapped.

"Prove it." I challenged.

She paused, then the imposter's madness really began to show, and she started laughing maniacally. I looked back at the real Cassidy her expression of fear seemed to have been glued to her face.

"Hey, she is only some wannabe, get on your feet!" I ordered, but Cassidy didn't move.

"There's a reason she's so scared…" Fake Cassidy said. "and soon, you will have that same look when you meet our master."

"You mean Silvershade?"

Fake Cassidy smiled devilishly, and I sensed danger again. From out of nowhere, something hot slammed me from behind, and I was sent into a tree.

I felt a cool breeze, and seems my shirt and jacket were torched on the back. It sucked, too… because I liked them, and now I'm going to have to buy new ones later.

I turned around to find a purple-colored Flareon standing there. For some reason, though, the Flareon was smirking, it spat at the ground, and a purple flame spout from it's mouth.

Something occurred to me quickly, Purple flame? Why does that not seem like a good si— my thoughts were interrupted by a sudden cold. My back turned numb, and it began to spread.

"Gah, what's… what's g-going on…?" I demanded, shivering from the cold.

"hmm, you're pretty resilient, aren't you, boy?" Fake Cassidy said. "The Corruption will soon spread to the rest of your body, and it will then begin clouding your mind."

"Ngh…" I tried moving my hand, but it felt like it was wrapped in some weird series of ropes. I fought against it, but it began winning. Something in my mind began thinking it's better this way, but I knew better to listen. I began fighting that much harder, and slowly the ropes began to give way.

"NNNGH!!" I fought harder against the ropes, "G…Go…to…hell…!!"

Cassidy—no, Fake Cassidy—seemed to relish the strain in me. I focused on being me, that this darkness is nothing but a method of menta.

"Grrr, I won't…Ngh, Let it… get me!!" The ropes clutching me began loosening. But something fiery made them tighten up, and my mind began feeling fuzzy.

"GraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAGH!!!" I yelled as I pushed my limits against this invisible opponent. I kept yelling as I began to move a bit. I made my hands clutch my head, and fought to shake off the haze in my physical and mental vision. I kept yelling as if it was from some drawn out TV show. The fire intensified, as did my efforts. Finally everything slacked, and I broke the ropes' hold with a bang.

My vision felt clear, as did my mind. I got up and opened my eyes, and everything around me seemed to glow orange. I figured that it was my pendant giving me support, and I walked towards Fake Cassidy. She stared at my shining pendant with disgust and recoiled like some vampire to a cross in a cheese movie.

"I'll get you soon." Fake Cassidy growled. "I'll get you for this, you little brat!"

A cloud appeared around Fake Cassidy, as it enveloped her, her image became distorted. Seconds later, the cloud was gone, and so was she.

The light in my pendant faded, and with that, so did my strength. My legs buckled, and I collapsed on the ground. I was helped up to my feet, and I remembered just then that Blaziken and company were still out and about.

"Did my hair turn yellow?" I said, drowsiness quickly beginning to overtake me.

"Hehe, Yellin' like that? I thought something other than your chain was being--." Marshtomp said, and suddenly the Typhlosion began to laugh. All of us except Butch, Cassidy and Gold joined in, and the duo walked toward us. I managed to stave off falling asleep long enough to explain to Gold what happened, and his Typhlosion introduced himself as "Explotaro".

"So, what was so funny, anyways?" Gold asked. I checked his mind, and it reenacted everything except Marshtomp didn't speak like I understood him. He spoke to me like some ordinary trainer would.

"heehee, Mar Marshtomp? Marsh Mar Marshtomp Marrsht—"

I looked at everyone, then at Explotaro (who rolled his eyes with a smirk), and I mirrored the expression.

"Emmm, Inside Joke." I replied with a cat-like smile.

That said, I lumbered my way back into the hotel, past a bewildered deskman (I forget what they're called, I know they're not clerks, though). I unlocked my door, into bed, and passed out without thinking of recalling anyone but Charizard.


	36. Chapter 35: Fiery Arrival

Chapter 35: Fiery Arrival

*KEVIN*

_**RareHunterLucas, how've you been?**_

_**Here, things have been getting pretty freaky. People around these parts have been going crazy with this "Master Silvershade" stuff, and now I'm hearing news come in about my friend (you know, Eric Claid, from the news). They've been saying that he separated the blessing from an original body, whatever that means, and the original body now doubts the blessing for good.**_

_**Even my friends are feeling the effects of what this madness is doing to those unaffected. A couple of times, people have randomly blurted out "WHO IS YOUR BOSS!?" and when one of us said "Giovanni", a group closes in on a gang attack, and we'd have to run until we can fight them off together. Sometimes, it wasn't successful, but Sam was always able to get away before the rest of us. "I nearly got killed last time." She told me when I mentioned it, "I'm not going to let it really happen this time."**_

_**I guess things are getting pretty painful out here. But despite that, we're able to get going with our usual routine.**_

_**Hope to hear from you soon,**_

_**Kevin.**_

*ERIC*

It must have been afternoon when I woke up. The smell of fried chicken hung in the air, and when I got up, I really needed to stretch.

"Thish is Aweshome!" someone said nearby. I looked left to find Gold and Explotaro sitting peacefully and enjoying their meal. Gold had bits of rice on his face, but that was because he was the one talking. Explotaro, on the other hand, was gobbling up his food so fast, he's using a pinkish-red drink to help swallow it down. I found the thought amusing, and figured it might be his first time eating food like this.

Gold swallowed what was in his mouth and wiped his face with his sleeve. "That hit the spot! Where you guys learn to cook like that?"

Blaziken was just coming out of the second room, and Alakazam was levitating a couple of disposable plates. Marshtomp and Riolu sat on the dresser, while Charizard was sleeping at the end of the room, mostly blocking the window.

"It. Isss… Aliiive." Blaziken punned as Alakazam levitated one of the plates to me. The food was nothing complicated, Chicken tempura with fried rice and a lot of veggies mixed in, as for the drink, it was nothing special either, Berry Juice of different flavors (mine was Chesto salty with a hint of an unknown sour taste).

"Bed and breakfast, oh so sweet as it is… is usually served by a maid." I commented, a silence saying it wasn't a very good joke. "OK, funny stuff aside, who did the shopping?"

"Yo!" Gold spouted, raising his hand when I looked his direction, "You have got to show me how you cook, dude, you're Pokémon are awesome at it!"

I smiled at the compliment. "From family to friends, I guess."

"Huh?"

"They take after me." I revised for him.

"So, what kind of fighting was that back there?" Gold asked.

"Hmm?" I didn't clearly hear him, I was too busy eating.

"I said, What Kind of Fighting Was That?" he repeated, saying it a little slower.

This time I heard him. "What, as in last night?"

"Yeah, what made those Pokémon want to attack ya?" Gold interrogated.

I was silent as I considered it for a moment. why did Leeroy and the Cassidy imposter want me dead?

"'_You're more than the eye can see, Eric Claid.'"_ the Trushade Scyther's voice echoed in memory. _"'You not only managed to get out of there alive, but your power towards Ho-oh grows fast. However, if you think you will be able to defeat the shadow that lurks behind you every day, you're going to regret thinking it. You'll live for now… but should you find yourself against my cause, then I'll have to kill you.'"_

"you know…" I admitted, "That's actually a good question, because I'm really not sure why."

"Well, something's not right about you." Gold began. "Cus, they weren't as fixated on your partners as they were you. It almost looked like your Pokémon were in the way."

I was silent again. _Go figure…_

I finished my lunch silently, putting them in the trash with the rest of the disposable utensils afterward.

I felt like going to check on Cassidy and Butch. I told Gold and my partners where I was going, and left towards the room down the hall. Cassidy was still pretty shaken, fast asleep in the fetal position. Butch, however, was eating a couple of snacks from his backpack. He jolted when he saw me, and scrambled to stand up straight. I raised a hand, saying it's not necessary, and he relaxed.

"You doing alright?" I asked.

"Yes, sir. Cassidy's still upset, but I'm good to go." Butch said, occasionally glancing at his partner.

"good to hear that you're doing okay…" I commented, suddenly feeling that this was no time for formality. "And, you can just call me Eric since we're not at HQ."

"You sure?"

"Yep." I nodded

Butch didn't seem to understand why I was being so nice. In his mind, he had frequently pictured me as a kid who knew nothing of the sort.

"Anyways, I came by to see how you were doing." I decided to make my priorities clear now. "I also am going to say that we will be leaving for Ecruteak City in a few minutes. 'we' being me and my Pokémon partners."

Butch was not surprised, he remembered that I told him I'd only be staying for rest. He didn't move, however, out of courtesy.

"However, judging from Cassidy's condition right now, I think it might be best to let you take your time. After all, Cassidy had quite a nightmare while she wasn't herself."

Butch began thinking of the Cassidy imposter, and her attempt to convert me. While what I meant something different, he seemed to have understood it his own way.

"Take your time about when you leave, Butch." I told him. "Leave when Cassidy feels better and you're both confident. No need to hurry for my sake."

He acknowledged me and thanked me as well. I took a moment to get a glance at the large hole in the wall. It turns out that I didn't make any kind of recognizable indention like your see in the cartoons. I actually saw a hold that appeared big enough to put Charizard through, wings outspread. I smiled then, wondering how the owner would fix this, and returned my room to inform everyone of my plans.

"Sheesh, you always seem to get enough rest." Gold yawned. "when do you have naptimes?"

"When I'm sure that I'm truly safe." I said, hiding the fact that I actually did NOT get enough rest.

"Heh, whatever." He shrugged and continued eating at his own pace.

About a half an hour later, I got around to packing my stuff and paying my bill at the desk. I kept quiet about the damage caused in Cassidy and Butch's room, since he didn't seem to have noticed anything.

I took another look at Olivine City, the roads appearing to snake along from the harbor to the route I was supposed to go on if I went by foot. However, I took Charizard's Pokéball, and opened it so I could ask to fly on him. He took a quick look at the map I pulled up on my PDA, with me indicating where we would be going, and he agreed to fly us over there.

"Besides," he commented, "That trip the to lighthouse was too short, and I need some real flying… it might even give that kid Riolu something to do, the little snacker."

I smiled at the comment. "Thanks, Charizard."

"Sometimes, your constant 'thank you's are getting to me. They me feel…. Ahh, what's the word…"

"nervous?" I randomly suggested.

"No, no… ahh, Uneasy, that's the word."

My eyelids lowered to a look of skepticism. _Awkward sounds more fitting than that…_ I thought.

I then plucked Riolu's Pokéball and stared at it. I felt a heartwarming feeling wanting to be around the kid, because he makes me feel more like the person I really am. I felt that in the Ferry, and while I know I'm in Team Rocket, I still prefer the nicer things in life.

I opened the Pokéball and out came Riolu, wondering what we're going to do today. When I laid out the plan, he grew excited about the concept and told me how much he loves flying (said that he always flew on Cynthia's Togekiss… whatever Pokémon that is).

Talking aside, we mounted on Charizard's shoulders, and off we flew off towards Ecruteak City..

***

Gold watched as Eric and his Charizard flew off towards their next destination. Explotaro gazed in their direction, then at Gold, and apparently was trying to say something.

Gold began to figure what he was meaning, and thought of the night before.

"_heehee, Mar Marshtomp? Marsh Mar Marshtomp Marrsht—"_

_Gold didn't understand what was going on. "So, what was so funny, anyways?"_

_Eric looked at his Pokémon, then as Explotaro, and said "Emmm, Inside Joke." With a catlike smile._

"Wish I could understand you." Gold said, and then Explotaro looked to the right, and jolted. Gold looked in the same direction, and found out why.

It was the blue-haired man from before, and he's wearing a Rocket Uniform.

Gold found the uniform amusing. "Hey, Team Rocket's gone, dude."

The man snorted. "Says the Johto kid to the Kanto member."

Explotaro glared at the man and erupted his shoulder flames. Gold pulled a Pokéball from his pocket and stood ready for a Pokémon Battle.

To both their surprise, the man just shook his head. "I have no business with you, kid. I'm only here to accompany Claid."

Explotaro grunted in a questioning tone. "What's that supposed to mean, are you really trying to stalk Eric?"

From behind the man, the woman Gold saw on a craze the night before walked behind him. Gold examined the look on her face, and became cautious of what's around him.

Explotaro grunted something towards the couple, but the woman's expression became one of wonder. She stared at Explotaro for a couple of seconds. Then shook her head and glanced at Gold.

"We're accompanying the boy who flew off, because you see, he's our superior." The woman said. "And whether you want to believe us or not doesn't matter."

Gold stared at the woman, then to the man and finally Explotaro. He took a moment to register the information, and then both he and Explotaro burst out laughing.

"Wow, now that's comedy!" Gold said while laughing. Explotaro spoke out as well, but Gold didn't understand it to listen.

The woman's upper vein began to throb, and she had a twitching expression of restraint on her face. The man looked at Gold with a calm expression, and waited until Gold stopped laughing.

"Haven't ya seen what that kid can do?" the man asked Gold.

Gold still had a smirk on his face from the idea of Claid leading Rockets. He looked at Explotaro, though, and his expression shown that of concerned indecision. The Typhlosion looked at the woman, and made a few grunts and noises. The woman was puzzled, and echoed "One of the Sacred Fire?"

Gold's smirk faded, being replaced by suspicion. He looked at the woman's puzzled expression and then at Explotaro.

_What the heck?_ Gold thought, _can she understand… no, that can't happen. It isn't possible to understand Pokémon…_ he thought of Claid talking to those Pokémon, laughing as if he heard a funny joke from them. _is it?_

The woman seemed to have come to some kind of decision. Suddenly, without hesitating, began running down the path towards Ecruteak City.

"Wha--!" the man called. "Hey! Wait up, Cassidy!"

The man ran off after the woman he called "Cassidy", while Gold and Explotaro stood there. Gold looked at his partner, who seemed to be contemplating something. Then he looked at his Trainer, and he made a few gestures toward the dashing Rockets.

Now Gold wants to know a bit more about what's going on. Last he recalls, Team Rocket was disbanded, and now he's hearing from a couple of supposed grunts, that a kid is their superior in Kanto? Something's up, and it seems Explotaro feels the same.

"Well, at least I won't be bored…" he said, and with the idea set, he and Explotaro ran off in pursuit.

***

I hardly realized that I fell asleep until Charizard shook me awake when we arrived. I dismounted his shoulders, but I stumbled backwards and fell on my butt, sleep still clouding my brain. I got up with a yawn and I gathered around my surroundings that was Ecruteak City.

The place certainly looked like they were trying to retain the mystic look of religion. All of the buildings were oriental in design, far eastern buildings with the curved pyramid of a roof, the only things that didn't have such appearances stood out. That said, I immediately decided to stop by the store that stood kinda out-of-the-way from the majority of the City. It wasn't too hard to spot with the sign hanging above the oriental roof, and when I left, I had the ingredients for dinner all set.

"Hmmm…" Charizard sniffed near me. "What's the table serving today?"

"Large pattie melts with mashed potatoes and baked salad." I announced, "The toppings for the meat can be whatever you want, but the Salad is going to have dressing of whatever flavor we have available… Unfortunately, they do not have spicy or salty-dry flavored. But we do have Sour, bitter, and sweet."

"Yay!" Riolu cheered.

"Hmph, these people don't have very much variety with food." Charizard snorted.

I chose now to walk off towards the woods and get cooking. Just then, however, a blue light in the shadows caught my eye. It looked a bit like a Pokémon of some kind, and it seemed to have turned towards me just as a sudden breeze began to blow.

It seemed that Charizard thought it was strange. "Hmm… the wind was just blowing northeast, now it's just north? Does that guy control the wind?"

Just as I heard him say that, the blue light silhouette vanished. I stood there, wondering what kind of a Pokémon it might have been. Only then did I notice something tapping my shoulder.

I turned around to see a man, seemingly in his mid to late twenties with a white suit and what appears to be a cape of sorts. His hair was mostly slicked back, with a small bit sticking out in front. At first glance, I thought he might pull a rabbit out of a hidden hat and say "TA-DAAAAHHHHH!!"

Instead, he looked where I was a moment ago.

"You saw him, too, didn't you?" he interrogated.

"Sure?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "you know what that was?"

"Suicune. That, young man, is the legendary Suicune."

I looked back, and nothing else was there…

"Hey… The wind's blowing northeast again." Charizard murmured.

The man looked at Charizard for a second, and I quickly translated for him without hesitation. The man frowned at me and explained that Suicune embodies the North Wind. According to him, it is also said that it can instantly purify any body of water with a single touch.

""Hmm… Sounds neat for a Pokémon." I said casually.

"Yep," the man replied. "And I will not stop until I can prove to Suicune that I'm worthy." With that said, he dashed off in pursuit.

We stood there for a second, a bit confused about the whole thing. I thought about the last thing he said, though, something about proving himself worthy.

"What was that all about…?" I thought aloud.

"BWAHHHHH!!!" suddenly a purple thing appeared in front of my face, with reddish eyes and a devilish smile. I yelped and jumped back, and the thing that appeared was actually just a Gengar pulling a prank on me. I was about to try and smack the little jerk until I felt a hand rest on my right shoulder. I regained my posture and turned around to see a guy who also looks in his mid twenties. His solemn eyes, however, had shown some sense of dignity.

"Don't mind him, he loves to target people who space out." The guy said. "Anyways, you actually look very familiar, have we met before?"

I shook my head, Charizard snorted, and I recalled him without warning.

"Well, I'm not sure if you're looking for someone, but I need to get going. I promised my partners I'd get cooking soon." I told the guy. "Though once I find me a place to stay—"

***BWOOMMM***

The man and I jolted at the sound of an explosion coming from a large building nearby. Crowds of people fled the scene, an obvious sign of an ongoing rampage. I looked at Riolu, who was still standing, and we nodded in agreement.

"We'll handle this." I told the stranger, and dashed off towards the building, the man apparently calling for me to stop.

I slowed down at the corner closest to the entrance and set Riolu down along with my groceries. I told him to not get himself into trouble and to keep his distance while I'm fighting. Unfortunately, I figured a couple seconds in advance that he'd protest, and when he did, I had a response ready.

"Listen, these guys won't hesitate to hurt you if they're told to." I told him. "Blaziken and I should be able to handle getting hit, but right now, you're not able to handle something like that. If you got hit by that now, you wouldn't recover from it, understand?"

Riolu felt a little disappointed, but he nodded. "Alwight… But I get something Extwa!"

I smiled at him, aware of the cliché that he'll try to watch anyways. "It's a deal, just don't get yourself in too much trouble while I take care of this."

After he nodded again, I looked at the building's entrance, and figured that the smoke pouring out has to go. I grabbed Charizard and Alakazam's Pokéballs and tossed them both up.

"Charizard, Clear this smoke!" I commanded, and then a whirlwind was blasting seconds later. The smoke cleared, and Charizard stopped flapping his wings, and a look inside what appears to be a theatre stage were five women, four of which were passed out and a fifth being cornered. Most of the lurkers were not too tough to distinguish, two Cacturn, one Mightyena, three Houndours… and one pink colored Pokémon.

One of the Houndours, normally colored, barked out to the others. The group faced me, as expected, and the strange looking Pokémon took as much a look at me as I did it. The Pokémon was in two shades of pink and red, four-legged with a long neck to accompany a nearly typical bug-like head. On either side of the head, though, were accordion-like arms with pincers on the ends, identical to the tail. Judging from the look in its eyes, it look like this Pokémon and its crew are looking for something.

"Hoy, you!" the Pokémon shouted, "What'd ya want!?"

I took a couple steps forward, and my partners followed suit. A quick glance at Blaziken and Alakazam said they were ready whenever I was.

"you know, if you never had a taste in theatre, then what are you trying to do in causing a problem?" I asked, trying to set up some punchline. "did you want a certain dance?"

"What's it to you?" the Pokémon snapped. "I want to be the one to meet Ho-oh, but I need the Clear Bell to summon it!"

I stopped to think about the statement. "Clear Bell?"

"Ha! You don't know a thing about it?" The Pokémon's arrogance got on my nerves… "once I get the Bell, all I need left is to challenge the unrecognized chosen one of the Sacred Fire!"

At the second he said that, I felt an urge to accept this indirect challenge. But I thought it over, trying to understand this odd feeling. My Pendant began to glow, though and the Pokémon had the instant look of alarm at the sight.

"Wha- Hold on. What's your name, kid?" the Pokémon demanded.

The girl looked at me and gasped slowly. "You, you're Eric Claid, the one that's been foretold to appear!"

The Pokémon gawked at me. "You're kidding, right? This IDIOT is THE ERIC CLAID!?"

I frowned. "I'm no idiot… just uninformed… that's all."

The Pokémon paused for a moment, and then a flash or so later, a dude in his late teens stood there. I was impressed, I never thought I'd not be the only one able to use this ability completely.

"Eric Claid, Current chosen one of the Rainbow Phoenix, Ho-oh!" the guy declared. "I challenge you for the rites of your future blessing, the power of the Sacred Fire of Ho-oh, to save the world!"

The pendant glared brightly, and I felt the urge to accept the challenge, as if it was some kind of test. I pulled out the pendant and looked at it for a second, then at the girl. She nodded, and I paused for a moment before responding.

"Ah, Alright. I accept your challenge, whoever you are…" I replied, while getting a bad feeling about it. "Now, what I want to know, how does this work?"

"She will explain everything, young man." A somewhat male voice said, I turned towards the Voice. At the entrance stood a blueish Pokémon; four legged, a crystal shaped crown, a long and flowing purple mane, and finally with what looks like two white ribbons were being flapped around from the back to the front. When it reminded me of the silhouette, it finally dawned on me that this must be the one called "Suicune", embodiment of the North Wind.

I looked back at the girl, who was obviously nervous. She gulped, and was able to calm down surprisingly fast.

"The Legendary Suicune will oversee this challenge." She explained, suddenly appearing to be in a trance. "This challenge is for the abilities of the Sacred Fire of Ho-oh, a blessing that has yet to be granted. This contest, as passed down through the Legend of Ho-oh, is a Battle of Comrades. Ten combatants, five from each side, will take part in an all scale battle as a test of trust and true companionship. Whoever's side falls will be deemed unworthy of the Sacred Fire, and the Mark will be passed to or retained by the winner."

I looked back, and Suicune was walking towards the right wall. Footsteps were heard, then Magician and Bandanna appeared at the entrance. Bandanna looked like he was mystified at the scene, but Magician seemed to be trying to figure everything out.

I felt my pendant begin levitating. And the glare became unbearable and I shut my eyes.

"Ngh, Gahh!" I cried, "What the hell's going on here?"

The light felt like it faded, and I opened my eyes, and realized immediately I was in some kind of platform arena somewhere. The place was largely circular, about large enough that five Snorlax could stand at arm's length and fit. The floor was wooden, with a symbol that looked like two copies of the Viridian Earth Badge crossed together with my pendant's color. I looked up and while it felt like indoors, the roof was too far away to be seen in this upward black abyss. The platform was also too high up, and I began to wonder where in Ecruteak City have we been teleported to.

***TSSUN***

I turned around towards a sound of teleportation. The guy standing there, four Pokémon with him: Two Cacturns, One Mighyena, and then that strange Pokémon again, except this one is purple.

***TSSSUN-SUN***

I looked back, Blaziken and Charizard stood there for a second, looking around.

"Classic." Blaziken commented. "Wooden stage, perched way up. Reminds me of all those martial arts movies we saw at Club."

Charizard looked at the abyss below. "That's quite a fall, though." He tried to get a getter look, but his head just stopped before it crossed over the edge.

He straightened up slightly, and headbutted forward. An orange ripple appeared where his head was stopped. Blaziken and I placed our hands past the edge, and the air felt solid. I kicked out, and my foot hit some kind of wall, another ripple appearing. _alright, so we got boundaries._

"Trainer Claid." Suicune's voice echoed. "Release your other partners so that the contest may begin."

I snapped up, turned around, and the Trainer had his hands to his hips. I grabbed Marshtomp's and Alakazam's Pokeballs and tossed them up. They appeared, Alakazam taking stock of his surroundings and of the situation through me, Marshtomp just looking around.

"This test will test your utmost companionship amongst each other." Suicune said, bringing it us all alert of what's going on. "The Human will fight alongside his companions, his friends, and his brother in arms. Whoever's friendship bond is stronger shall have the ability to prevail in this fight."

"We're going to beat you down, Claid." The guy said, overconfident. I did not want to put up with a loser like this on an empty stomach. I grow very grouchy when I'm hungry enough.

"Alright." I replied, "and how about this: if we win this thing, then you get to pay for our dinner, and a _high quality_ one at that. I'm NOT in the mood to cook anymore, and if you're going to inconvenience me by causing trouble, I'm going to make you pay for it."

"Fine, if you can beat me."

I snorted, I took a gander at everyone, and the decision was unanimous. We didn't give as much a hoot as losing pride as much as losing time to eat…

BEGIN!! a booming voice declared, I thought and it's on like Donkey Kong.

"Cacturns, open up with Pin Missile!" the trainer declared, hundreds of white needle shots spouted from their arms and were aimed straight in our direction.

I knew the best way to respond, but I couldn't do it myself. Alakazam, help me catch these. Together, we focused a psychic net, the spikes stopped in mid-air, and with a wide push, rebounded them back at the trainer. Stun time gave me a chance to think, and instantly, I labeled targets and gave instructions.

_Charizard and Alakzam, you got the two Cacturns; Blaziken, Strange Pokémon; Marshtomp, Mightyena; I got the Trainer. Quick Divide and Conquer strategy, if one of us takes down a target, lend support to who needs it most._

_Got it._ everyone responded simultaneously.

_Alright, let's give him our order!_

The Battle began, and thanks to Alakazam, we were able to know what the others were doing. Multiple attacks all commenced at once. Blaziken dashed forward and hopped up to deliver a couple light kicks before a straight blast of Fire Spin; Alakazam mounted Charizard, used Psychic to give him liftoff and shot off Flamethrower as well; Marshtomp danced around Mightyena, taunting to force it to attack. Its teeth snapped at him, but Marshtomp evaded it and squirted Mightyena with Water Gun. I used Blaziken form and charged the trainer with a Close Combat assault. He dodged each of my strikes, and grabbed my left wrist; I withdrew my wrist, pulling him towards me and swung an elbow at his back with a whirling kick ot knock him aside.

The Trainer grabbed one of his Pokeballs, summoned a Mightyena form, and began fighting back with coordinated jabs. A punch nearly hit me from my left, but I grabbed it and caught the Cacturn in mid-swing. I spun around to line up the two targets before I drop-kicked them both back away from me. When I did so, though, something purple crossed out and struck me in the chest, launching me back.

"Ah, Eric!" Alakazam shouted vocally.

It occurred to me that this guy was no amateur, and my tactics previously stated was intended for one as such. So much for a quick order, I might need to make him pay deluxe.

_Damn, this guy's got knowledge._ I thought to myself, then in command: _Alakazam, Charizard, Firestorm, GOOO!!_

_Already on it,_ he replied. _Blaziken, Marshtomp, Heads up!!_

I leapt up in a whirl, stepping back to avoid stumbling; Blaziken shot through the enemy group, sending the trainer and one of the Cacturn to a spin, and Marshtomp landed next to me. Focusing the mindpower in me, I built up strength for the instant and yelled "Barrier!!" to bring up the psychic shield. In seconds, the whole arena seemed to erupt in explosions caused by the Firestorm combo of Charizard's Flamethrower and Alakazam's Psychic. Flashes of white appeared for what few of the many explosions hit the shield. A final row of shots blasted near the shield, and it was destroyed along with my focus. I lost feeling in my ankles and fell to my knees, but I felt that Charizard and Alakazam joined us. The enemy was forced to make some distance, and because of the surprise attack, one of the Cacturn and Mightyena were heavily injured among them.

Among mine, the only one that was beat-up was me. Marshtomp, Charizard, and Alakazam didn't have a scratch at all, Blaziken was almost the same, save for an X-shaped wound on his right side.

"Looks like they hope to take you out first." Blaziken said, I rolled my eyes. Duhhh!

"This guy seems to be your typical Pokémon Trainer." Alakazam observed. "He's used to the Trainer being the center of tactics. Perhaps that could be our advantage, but it seems this guy is fairly adept at overwhelming single opponents."

_Alright, then, we'll form two teams._ I said, mouthing something else to keep things private. _Marshtomp, Charizard and Alakazam, take to the sky. Alakazam, you're in charge; Marshtomp, stay on Charizard at all times. Blaziken and I will be on the ground keeping them occupied. Alakazam, try to find a way to KO the majority so Blaziken and I can end the fight._

"Got it?" I said vocally, everyone nodded. Everyone got set up, Alakazam's team lifted off into the air. Blaziken and I stood on the floor. The Trainer and his team of combatants stood ready, the Trainer himself crossing his arms with a smug look on his mug.

"You ready for Round Two, Claid?" the Trainer said, "I expected you to be better than this."

"All I needed is the chance to plan, dude." I replied, "DING!!"

"Let's open with Pin Missile one more time!" The Trainer grabbed a Pokéball from his pocket, and thrust it forward. "Transform, Cacturn!" he shouted, before he was enveloped in light.

"you want to play that game, huh?" I commented, then to Blaziken: "You Ready?"

"It's our turn now!" he declared, and we crossed wrists in a gesture of trust. I then clutched Blaziken's Pokéball to my side and made my statement.

"Pokéunison, Blaziken!"

A Couple second's in an orange Light, and I reappeared in Blaziken Unison. A duplicate of my partner, with the exception that my body was that of the shiner's variety and my eyes remained unchanged.

"Let's do this." We both agreed. And stood ready for the attack. The Cacturn raised their arms and a slew of white spikes shot out from their arms. Blaziken and I began running in opposite direction, the strange purple Pokémon charged at me with what I now realize is Cross Poison. I kept running, and the Pokémon was stopped by a blast of water from above. I looked ahead, and found a third Cacturn raising its arms in our direction. Blaziken and I crossed paths, and the Cacturn fired its Pin Missile. Instinct driving my immediate action, I leapt forward with Blaziken and performed the same stunt we did against Leeroy: aiming a Flamethrower at the trio while upside-down in the air.

The fire hit them before they could negate it with an attack; but the stunt only lasted a few seconds before Blaziken and I landed on the floor. I looked back and found that by some stroke of luck, they were all gripping a limb in pain. Burn_, baby, burn!_

_Eric, Blaziken!_ Alakazam called mentally. _Bunch them up together, and we'll take them with a Meteor Blast combo!_

_What!? Are you crazy, what about last time?_ I protested.

_Those Pokémon have orders to cripple you, and I will not sit by and watch that happen._ Alakazam told me. _Unless you got something better, then I wouldn't argue!_

The Unknown Pokémon charged again with Cross Poison, still targeting me. I stepped back to avoid the attack, only to have black and grey blur charge through my legs, knocking me down. The Pokémon's arms began to glow a darker purple than usual, and I quickly figured it out to be Night Slash when I began rolling away from the first of many swipes.

***BWEEEEE-CRKKLK-K***

I heard a crackling sound where the Pokémon was attacking. I stopped rolling at the end boundaries, and the Pokémon was frozen from Marshtomp's Ice Beam. The black and grey blur shot at me again, but a Flamethrower from Blaziken slammed the Mightyena into a tumble towards me. Still on the floor, I swung my legs, and kicked out with all I got on the Mightyena. I heard a CRACK as it slammed into the unknown Pokémon's frozen form—well, now immobile, since the ice shattered—into the group of Cacturn.

"FIIIRRRRREEEEE!!" Marshtomp yelled, and the next thing I saw were bright red-orange fireballs raining down on the entire opposing group. I felt the many explosions boom through my entire body, Blaziken landed to my right, and winced.

A bright red ball of fire flew in the middle of the chaos. Alakazam shot off Psybeam at the fireball, and I felt like Armageddon was on the battlefield, Blaziken and I were launched backwards into the boundaries by the shockwave. I reverted back to normal involuntarily, but we both stood up and stared on in pity.

"Damn…" I uttered. "I never thought we'd have to use that. I almost feels sorry for 'em."

Blaziken was silent for a few seconds, then closed his eyes and turned slightly right. "They had it coming, Troublemakers should learn their lesson."

"But not like that…" Alright, I didn't almost feel sorry for them, I _did_ feel sorry for them.

"Yeah…" Blaziken agreed. "I'll admit… that is a horrible way to go."

The Meteor Blast is a combo very similar to the Fire Storm. It retains it's very long charge time with Alakazam containing Charizard's Flamethrower in an expanding ball, and when ready, Broken up into smaller fireballs to be launched at the target. Unlike the diversionary Fire Storm, however, the Meteor Blast focuses all the fireballs on one spot, with Charizard firing off Blast Burn to end his part. Finally, Alakazam uses Psybeam to detonate the Blast Burn early, resulting in an explosive finish. I initially use that to destroy large strongholds when I was on missions, but when I resorted to using it in battle, _nobody_ was standing in the target space. They were rushed to the Pokémon center for intensive care, and I was relieved afterward to learn they were all still alive. Ever since that incident, I labeled that combo as forbidden to consider using, and only if it was absolutely necessary did we ever consider using the Meteor Blast.

The smoke cleared, and the opposing group was down for the count. The third Cacturn returned back to normal, and the guy was groaning, likely from the pain.

***WHHAASHHHHHH***

A light flared brightly, and we returned to the theatre. The defeated group was lying in a heap on the stage, scorched nearly unrecognizable. I stood there silently, hoping that they're still alive. I checked my neck, and my pendant necklace was still there.

I stared at it, and then gazed at the heap of unconscious bodies, then back at a changed symbol: a silhouette profile of Ho-oh's head with two Earth-Badge-esque feathers, colored in orange and green, crossing the middle. The Pendant reflected light in many colors, similar to how Ho-oh's wings are said to shine in seven different colors.

"Damn, I dunno if I pass or not." I said. "But this… this is unreal." I shook my head, exasperated. "I mean, if that's the welcome party, what's next?"


	37. Chapter 36: Beware, young one

Chapter 36: Beware, young one…

I watched on as the unnamed Trainer's Pokémon were carried away in stretchers. Bandanna told me that his Pokémon will be rushed over to the Pokémon Center for intensive care. The Trainer, however, will have a hard time recovering from burns like those. I stared at him lying on the ground, knowing I only had myself to blame for it. I would have come up with another plan to win that fight, but I was too distraught from avoiding getting hit to think very clearly.

I felt like I ought to be next to the Trainer before he's carried off. I walked up next to him, and knelt down.

_I guess we went a little too far with that, huh?_ I told him telepathically. _Sorry about that, maybe I'll just pay for our own meal, like I originally doing._

The Trainer scoffed, but he also knew he couldn't vocalize. _What are you doing feeling sorry for? You won, and you've proven yourself worthy of the Sacred Fire._

I rested a hand on the left shoulder, the lesser burned portion of the body, and he still tensed up. _perhaps it's just in my nature to be sympathetic. I may have won, but I could have done it with other methods. Now your Pokémon are going to be pretty worried about you once they come back from the Pokémon Center._

The Trainer was silent for a few seconds. _That was a hell of a combo, I never would have thought of something like that. Hurts like hell, though._

I felt a warmth coming from the pendant, and was curious when I saw it glowing faintly.I looked back at the trainer, and his scorches seemed to peel away. His blackened skin was becoming repaired a lot faster, becoming more colorful until it stopped to where he was only with some major scrapes and many bruises.

I gasped. "Whoa… did I do…"

I felt a hand gently rest on my shoulder, the girl from before nodded, and the guy was lifted in a stretcher.

The thought occurred to me, and I looked around for Suicune. It wasn't there, and neither was Magician. Bandanna was standing at the outside entrance with Riolu, who was shaking his hand with a cheerful expression on his face. I smiled at them, Riolu spotting me and dashing in my direction.

"You Wuhh Gweat in tere!" Riolu cheered. "You wuhh like Bam, bam, and den Whooooop and den BOOMBOOMBOOM!"

I felt that warm feeling again as I watched Riolu explain what he witnessed in the fight. I still had to remind myself that I am not as pure as he might think, though.

_It's hard to remind myself that I joined Team Rocket to improve on my tactics with Pokémon. _I thought, reminiscing my couple years. _because as of late, that's hardly the case in Pokémon Battles. All I'm doing is performing stealthy theft operations, and on the couple of times we get caught did I ever become resourceful in Battle…_ Riolu was lifted onto Blazikens Shoulders, and Riolu was socializing happily. Bandanna smiled and we both looked at the little guy having fun when Alakazam and Blaziken worked up a quick act for him. _All my time in Team Rocket was spent improving my methods of doing things, such as stealing and intelligence. If it wasn't for that Club of Kindness I go to every day, as well as the frequent Pokémon Battles for sport, I'm not sure if I could have stayed in Team Rocket as long as I have…_

"Hey, you said you were looking for a somewhere to stay, right?" Bandanna inquired. "Perhaps I could suggest a place."

As it turns out, Bandanna, who formally introduced himself as Ecruteak Gym Leader Morty, was well aware of his city. The hotel was a fairly good one, and one that even had a small kitchen in the higher priced ones. He paid for my room, and I placed my backpack and groceries down next to the bed.

I felt a little awkward about the city's gym leader paying for a pricey room. I turned to thank him again, but his observant gaze stopped me. His eyes made me feel like he was trying to understand something about me. Whatever it was, though, he was trying hard not to disapprove of it.

"Tell me… How is it you came across the pendant?" Morty asked.

I felt like I was in those anime sweat-drop scenes. "Uhh, I stumbled across it in Lavendar Town back in Kanto, why?"

Morty kept his stare fixed on me, but he shook his head slightly. "I can tell from your expression, you've done some evil. You focus on innocent reasons, but you find yourself doing things you wouldn't usually want to do, which you dismiss as something else."

The analysis reminded me of Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. Based on everything Blaziken told her, she summed me up with surprising accuracy, and even went as far as to explain how I'd react with whatever happens. But since I'm here, I figured it's no surprise. Some of the Pokémon said I'm the closest match to be Ho-oh's chosen, whatever it was.

"Hmm…" I didn't have any real response, so I didn't say anything. Morty seemed to have been thinking about something, and his brain was going through some large amounts of research he conducted the night before. Unfortunately, it went by too fast for me to get any idea, so I decided to keep quiet.

"It's quite a mystery." Morty mused. "I've worked hard to prove myself worthy of Ho-oh, and yet you're the chosen."

I didn't speak because he has a point, not of how he worked hard, but of how it's a mystery.

"I don't even understand a whole lot of all this…" I said, sitting on the bed and looking down.

Morty looked at me with concern.

"That's really the reason I even came here." I explained. "It all starts with meeting the Ghost of Marowak, who gives me a Rainbow Feather on a golden chain. That feather changes into the shape of the Kanto Earth Badge, and a couple years later, I nearly get killed."

Morty thought all this through, and it was beginning to sound like some legend he heard.

"The Next day, I wake up to learn that this Pendant can help me understand Pokémon speech. And I learned the hard way that there are some out to get me. This imposter of myself named Silvershade, the sudden return of Shadow Pokémon, and now these TruShade copies…" I took a deep breath, and took off my pendant. Morty glanced at it, and smiled briefly.

"Actually… That pendant was just a start." He said.

"Huh?" I looked up at him.

"'A Token of the Sacred Fire will be a doorway, and it shall reveal to he and his kind a new view of their world.'"

My head began tilting in confusion. Morty shook his head, and opened one of his Pokeballs.

"Hmmm…" Gengar looked around. "There somethin' going on, boss?"

I stared at Gengar, glanced at the pendant and then at Morty.

"If one of the many prophecies are correct, then essentially, that pendant allowed you to understand Pokémon, like you said." He described. "However, that transformation you called 'Unison' imprinted that ability for good." I absorbed all that information slowly, then he crossed his arms. "Think about it: if that Pendant was what allowed you to understand Pokémon, how is it that other people could talk with them like you can?"

I thought back on the news broadcast with the Houndoom, and realized Morty was right. Ever since I learned how to talk with Pokémon, I've seen on the news that the phenomenon was happening everywhere. But all that did was explain how I can understand them, what about Silvershade, the shadow Pokémon, and those Trushades? What do they have to do with my fate, my destiny, or whatever the hell you want to call "WHAT'S NEXT"?

I still thought about the Scyther's message from Silvershade the couple of days before. _"'if you think you will be able to defeat the shadow that lurks behind you every day, you're going to regret thinking it.'"_

"Defeat the shadow that lurks behind me…" I murmured.

"Hmm? You say something."

I shook my head. "N-nothing, I'd better get cooking." I stood up and offered a handshake. Morty took it, and I thanked him again.

"I'm likely going to be staying here for awhile." I said. "so perhaps once I've caught up on my rest, I'll see if I could talk to you about these legends and prophecies and… stuff."

Morty acknowledged, and left afterwards. I stepped into the kitchen, finding that it was not very big compared to the rest of the room. The fridge was at the end of it, the stove was near the entrance. This kitchen, at most, seemed to give enough moving space for one to two adults, but only enough room for one to exit at a time.

I stared at it glumly, and quickly got to work on my stuff.

About a half an hour later, Dinner was served. Riolu poured his flavor of dressing onto his salad, I had to stop him from drowning his food in it. Blaziken wasn't too thrilled of the lack in spicy stuff, but he was able to get by with sour… somewhat.

I personally tried to merely put up with it the usual way. Thankfully, we got the food taken care of, because I was still able to make our usual drinks.

The Meal went by surprisingly quiet, even Riolu wasn't speaking too much. I still kept thinking about how I was going to work out my questions. All I learned so far is that the pendant was what helped me understand Pokémon before Unison, and now I need to know a few more things. Thankfully, I was able to figure out through the brief flashes in Morty's mind earlier, that I'll definitely be in luck. One of the images that stuck out the most was a notebook that had "The Overseers and the Sacred Flame", another flash shown me three Pokémon scribbles that looked a lot like Mew, when a colored variant flashed there, one of them looked a lot like the Mew-like Pokémon from before.

_He looked like Mew, yet it wasn't really one._ I thought to myself. _I don't get it, though… Why do I feel like I'm supposed to know him?_ I added the thought to my mental list of questions to ask Morty.

Blaziken sighed, Riolu felt uneasy, and Charizard stared at me, as if expecting me to say something. Alakazam, took a breath before breaking this awkward silence.

"Alright… I see that fight took all the enthusiasm out of us."

I took off my pendant and stared at it. After a moment's consideration, I told everyone of what Morty revealed to me. Riolu was confused, but Blaziken and Alakazam were skeptical.

"So after this Unison occurs, ordinary people can understand Pokémon like you can with us?" Alakazam queried. I nodded; Blaziken drank the last of his smoothie and got up.

"Well, it's not like we're supposed to be back at Kanto anytime soon." He declared. "So I'll ask now: what's the plan?"

I took a moment to figure out what the plan was. I initially wanted to learn about what these legends are all about. More importantly, I wanted to know who Silvershade really is.

"Hey, Ewic." Riolu said from the windowsill. "What's dat Buunt towuh over tere?"

I walked over to his side and looked his direction. Sure enough, a burned down ruin of what seems to be a tower was standing there. I checked the sky, and it was late afternoon, which meant that if we want to explore the tower with daylight available, now would be the time.

"that's a good question." I said, "I'm not sure."

"Maybe we aughta check it out." Marshtomp supplied. "We got some time, right?"

Charizard snorted. "Bah, you guys go on ahead, I'll relax right here."

I shrugged, and got up a few things before setting off towards the tower. The Tower was only a short walk away, but when we got to the entrance, Magician was standing there. I line-eyed his back, and walked in to look around at the place.

The Burned Tower was oriental in nature, with the source of the fire unknown. The first floor remains fairly sturdy, so it's safe to walk on. The Center of the room, much like the roof, has a large hole in the floor, and underneath lies a small cavernous area. I looked into the hole, but all I could see was a faint blue light at the bottom, and figured I might need to get down there to get a better look. Deciding to take the quiet path, I located a nearby ladder and climbed down, Blaziken and Marshtomp followed suit and together, we crept towards the blue light at the center.

I felt a familiar presence when I got close, and stopped when the blue light's silhouette turned to look at me. The light was Suicune, and apparently he wanted to talk to me, judging from the look in his eyes.

…_You seem to have quite a lot of questions, boy._ Suicune commented. _And with no certainty of where to start, you sure are a puzzling one. So much natural power, and yet so innocent and curious. With that and your unwavering kindness towards Pokémon, despite your… 'work… it's still a wonder why Ho-oh's chosen you first._

I gulped, Suicune knew about something. But he's right, I still don't know where to start. After a moment's thought, however, I picked out one of the few questions question that stuck out the most in my mind.

"Suicune…" I felt nervous, asking this of a Pokémon of legend. "Who is this 'Darkness Silvershade'?"

"huh?" Magician's voice sounded from a distance.

_The one you know as Darkness Silvershade, is a dark being created from the shadows of three seers of the world._ Suicune stated. _once known as the Dark One, it spread madness and blood thirst wherever it's influence had an effect. That is, however, until it was defeated by the legends of the world._

"What does Silvershade want with me, though?" I queried.

"What's going on down there?" Magician demanded, but I ignored him still.

_it wants the ability you possess._ Suicune's gaze emphasized how serious it felt. _There's a reason why it copied your body, and that's also why Ho-oh is concerned about your well-being._

"What?" Now we're getting somewhere.

_The Pokémon of many types has prophesied a human to release one of the three seers from his human seal. Two of the three have been released by themselves, but their youngest, and therefore most innocent, must be freed by outside assistance._

"Outside assistance…?" I repeated quietly. "You mean like I have to help set him free?"

Suicune nodded. _Yes. However, here's also the prophecy that The Sacred fire can turn dim with evil, and his fate lies with the winds._

I took a moment to revise the information so I could remember. IF what I heard was true, then Silvershade is supposedly a dark being from ancient times created from the shadow of three… supervisors of the world. He caused chaos wherever he went, turning our beloved planet into a "world class" madhouse… however, this Dark One that he was before was stopped by all the legendary Pokémon of the world we know at this moment. Now, these three "supervisors" got themselves sealed up somewhere in the middle of all this, and I have the ability to free the one that couldn't unlock his seal by himself. To make matters matters worse, there might be a case where this darkness and whatnot might make me evil somehow, and that my fate lies "in the winds" (I'm guessing that means, who knows what's next). Well, now all I need is a psychiatric institution and I'll be fine after a couple years, if I tried to tell anyone back at base.

"What are these Truly Shadow Pokémon copies?" I asked, finally feeling comfortable about what I should ask.

Suicune paused, however, and his gaze seemed to look past me. A hand rested on my shoulder, and I figured that Magician must have come down here.

_You…_ Suicune said, a sense of irritation in his voice. _The so-called "Suicune Hunter" Eusine… you're becoming quite an irritant._

"Incredible…" Eusine apparently can't hear Suicune. I looked at the Pokémon and stuck my thumb at the man with a gesture of confusion.

"Suicune Hunter?" I asked. "How long has he been doing this?"

Suicune looked back at me. _Years… his obsession about trying to prove himself to me has grown tiring. I shall never understand how he can't get the message. But as long as he lives, he'll still keep chasing for my approval._

I looked at Eusine, whose eyes are sparkling, then back at Suicune. "Perhaps I could serve as the middleman, the line of communication between you two…"

Eusine snapped out of his trance when he heard me. "What! You can communicate with Suicune?" he exclaimed.

Suicune, however, shook his head. _He won't listen to you. I've done this before, and he will just shrug it off with his stubborn determination._

"You can communicate with Suicune?" Eusine asked.

Suicune turned away. _I should be going now. If you still request answers, the kimono girls should help you, Gym leader Morty should be able to help you as well. Farewell, Chosen of the Sacred Fire._

Another North wind blew as Suicune leapt. Eusine attempted to make chase after it, I stared on in wonder.

"Whoaaa…" a voice said above me. I glanced up at the source, and remembered that Blaziken, Riolu, and Marshtomp were with me. Marshtomp was sleeping on Blaziken's shoulders, whereas Blaziken himself was staring onward where Suicune left.

Blaziken looked at me and stared me in the eyes. In that instant, I really felt I was with my best friend. We understood each other better than what some close observation would, and nothing would set us apart for long.

I broke eye contact when I began reading his mind. I looked back at Suicune's exit, still replaying the entire conversation in my head.

"Dark One, huh… and these three seers?" I thought back on the strange Mew-like Pokémon that appeared near the ferry and at the Olivine lighthouse. _Could that might be one of them?_ I looked further up, and figured we'd better get back to the hotel. I crouched down, counter to three, and pushed myself off the ground. The second floor rose quickly, and was about to hit the ceiling until I stopped rising, Riolu ducking his head to avoid hitting it. I floated at the top of my jump for maybe a split second, and I bent my knees slightly before landing with a loud BOOM on the wood.

I stood up slowly from the crater I inadvertently made just as Blaziken landed softly on the edge. I scowled at him when I saw the amused look on his face, and called him a showoff, before we walked outside into the light blue night. Small lamps were being lit by volunteers with matches, but aside from that, the streets were very quiet. I closed my eyes and took in this peace and quiet with relief. It's been soo crazy, and yet I feel that with all the stress, all the fighting for my life, and above all, the fast pace that this is happening… Well… it's just like I need to enjoy every quiet moment as best as possible.

"Hey, you!" a voice called, causing a vein in my forehead to throb for ruining to moment. I opened my eyes, and found Eusine walking towards me. I cocked an eyebrow to indicate my attention's on him.

"You mentioned being the middleman of communications between me and Suicune, right?" Eusine inquired. I noted Suicune's notation about his stubborn attitude, and shrugged.

"Well, what did he say?" he pressed on, eager to hear what he hopes for. His mind explained his obsession… at one time, he seemed to have crossed paths with Ash, and has even tried to Catch Suicune… with no luck. What noted his obsession, was Ash saying he saw Suicune before, and Eusine taking it as some insult.

Personally, I'm not surprised Ash would come acrossed Suicune. A few people from the Orange Islands say he's saved the world before, but who could believe that? I mean, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres… becoming disturbed on their home islands by some collective wacko, only to find his collection ruined by a kid who fights alongside Lugia. While I can find that part somewhat believeable (I mean, look at Red, he essentially broke Team Rocket apart a few years before I was conned into joining), what makes the whole thing hokey is this one line in some legend: "and the whole world shall turn to Ash."

"Kid?" Hellooo?" Eusine began snapping his fingers in my face. I left my train of thought regarding Ash and grew bored of his nagging.

"this guy really needs a reality check." Blaziken commented.

"No kidding…" I mumbled

"so you're trying to indicate you didn't hear him." Eusine seemed to be a bit annoyed by my lack of response, so as a bitter aftertaste, I said it outright. "Your obsession of earning his approval, and your ignorance of his denial has grown tiring. He answered one of my questions because that's what I came for, and you need help. Good night, Eusine."

I began walking towards the hotel, and ignored his demands of how I knew his name. Riolu dozed off on my shoulders, and Marshtomp began snoring as we climbed the stairwell.

I recalled Marshtomp and Riolu, along with Charizard when we got to the room, and plopped facedown on the bed. Blaziken sat down on one of the two chairs, and rested his legs on the table. I groaned into the pillow, finally feeling all the exhaustion that was pent up, Blaziken made a brief laugh, and said "That fight earlier must have taken more of a toll on you than you thought. Good night, Eric."

_Everything was dark, I was floating somewhere, and I knew this felt familiar._

_I felt that cold wave, but I made the effort to push it down and kept a straight face. It felt wrong, somehow… like I should be feeling this. This wasn't the first time this happened. I felt myself suddenly standing on a wooden floor of some kind, and a fiery presence told me immediately who it was._

"_Why?" I demanded. "What are these feelings, these emotions, what are they for?"_

_**Those are what you've held back from the world.**__ the voice of Ho-oh said. __**Your ability to restrain your emotions will become a flaw that others will exploit**__._

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

_**You're unique among the ones you call collegues.**__ Ho-oh stated. __**unlike the others, you've felt a great deal of remorse for the deeds you do. But you learned that any sign of weakness will deny you of what you initially aimed for.**_

"_and what was it that I was aiming for?" I shouted, growing frustrated. "because after a week ago, I don't know what's what!"_

_**Initially, your defeat at the hands of the Psychic Leeroy damaged your spirit. You felt like you let down everything you fought for.**__ what I "felt" now was myself grow angrier at every word, but I knew the truth of it, and listened in silence. __**Your damaged spirit and frequently naïve nature led you to joining Team Rocket. You learned quickly, however, that being among them turned into a survival game. By playing their game, you've learned many traits that most will know to be wicked. One of those traits are the ability to hide your true feelings. I, however, can see all of those feelings.**_

"_Well that's not fucking fair!" I exploded. "First, it's The Sinnoh champion Cynthia, who explains my most likely response; Second, it's Gym leader Morty, who summarizes my intentions; and now you, who tells me the reasoning behind everything I've done. Why is it that everyone else know SO MUCH about me, and yet I don't have a DAMNED clue on what's happening to me!"_

_**you see?**__ Ho-oh said calmly. __**your trait to hide your feelings has proved to be a weakness.**_

"_What's it to you?" I kept raging. "YOU won't give me my answers!"_

_**You wouldn't understand. **__**However, I understand that you're pretty… "pissed off" as humans your age would say.**_

"_You're damned right I'm pissed off!" I continued. "It's just not fair. All you people know so much about me, and yet when I ask for answers, I don't get them all. Either something prevents me from getting my answers, or everyone hopes to keep me in the dark… it's just not fair… Why won't you give me my answers, will the world just suddenly cease to be if I know now?"_

_I felt like the fire that burned with rage had died down. In its place was a hopelessly empty feeling. I felt like I had nothing left, the cold wave began to seep in, and I still tried to restrain it. The warmth emanated and I let it in, allowing myself the comfort of trying to find something happy to hold onto._

_**Beware, young one. You will need to come to terms with yourself eventually. Should you not do it sooner, it will be all the more painful when it presents itself without your say-so.**_

I opened my eyes to blackness. I got up and looked out the window, only to find dawn breaking outside. I glanced to my left to find Blaziken still fast asleep, then held my pendant for a couple seconds before taking it off. This thing was the whole reason I was here in the first place, there were so many things I could never understand about without help, Suicune would have been a great help had that Eusine guy not been around. I've had two people and a Pokémon tell me so much about myself, and what do I get from the one I hoped could help me: a warning to be wary of what feelings I hold back. Well, I've had enough, all of it, this Sacred fire, this legend, that Silvershade fuck and his Trushades, they can ALL just go to hell for all I care.

"To HELL with this thing!" I yelled before chucking the pendant. I didn't care anymore, I ignored the glass cabinet shattering, I ignored Blaziken waking up with a start, and stormed off to who-knows-where, just to be alone.


	38. Chapter 37: Silvershade

Chapter 37: Silvershade

Blaziken's heart was pounding from the sudden shock that woke him. He only spotted Eric briefly before he slammed the door and stomped outside, and got off to try and figure out what is going on.

I began with looking towards the source of the noise, a wooden framed glass cabinet appeared smashed by some foreign object. Among the shards of glass, however, was Eric's pendant necklace.

"Huh?" he muttered to himself. "What's this doing here?"

The lack of a good night's sleep then hit him in a wave. Blaziken's eyes grew slightly heavier, and he yawned for a couple seconds.

***rfffrff rffrff...***

Blaziken picked up a rustling sound coming from the side of Eric's bed. Cautiously, he stepped towards the noise, and the rustling from under his bed. Then in one swift sweep, threw over the covers and revealed what was underneath. Riolu was lying facing the window, seemingly disturbed from his sleep. He stirred where he was and woke up steadily.

"Hey, Blaziken." he moaned with a yawn. "whea's Ewic?"

it was right then did Blaziken see something else on the bed, he stared at them for a few seconds until it dawned on him that he wasn't seeing things. he glanced at Riolu, who was staring at the same thing, then he slowly turned to Blaziken, his eyes indicating a similar sense of horror.

"He's not in heuh, is he...?"

"C'mon, kid." Blaziken lifted Riolu on his shoulders, his hand clutching Eric's secondary belt. "Any Trainer without this is looking for trouble, and with the trouble Eric's dealt with... dammit, man."

"GRAAHH!"

***BOOMBOOM, BOOM BOOM BOOM***

"YAH YAH, GNNAH!"

***BOOMBOOM, WHUMPH***

I was on the outskirts of Ecruteak city, punching at an unoccupied tree to vent out my anger. small craters were left where my fists have compressed the body and bark of the tree, and despite my fists aching like hell, I still had anger to spare.

Left, right, Left-left right. whirl-around left. I figured that if I had picked any other tree, it would be knocked down by now. after about a dozen or so different punches, I finally stopped and stood there panting. I leaned my back on the tree and slid sown in a sitting position. closing my eyes to collect my thoughts.

_**You will need to come to terms with yourself eventually**_. the warning echoed in my head for the third time. _**Should you not do it sooner, it will be all the more painful when it presents itself without your say-so.**_

Hearing the warning made me all the more frustrated. _Like that's even possible..._ A lot of people know who I am. The Kanto Gym Leaders will likely have begrudged me because of what I did, especially Lt. Surge, who is the only one I actually enjoyed putting down initially. now, however, I felt a little less like what I was and am instead just some kid who's lost in a psychological labyrinth.

I took breaths in an effort to calm down, with some success. I figured that I might as well find another way of venting, so I got up and started walking along the borders of the city.

_Come to terms with myself..._ I thought, feeling empty. _I can't even FORGIVE myself for all that I've done for the past couple of years. I've learned so quickly to hide my real feelings that it's become second nature, but that doesn't hide the fact that I don't like the whole thing._ I wondered what would happen to the Pokémon I was stealing. _Perhaps they were just simply sold off to other trainers for profit. I mean, sure, it's not right to kidnap Pokémon from their original trainers, nor would it be right to sell them like merchandise. but maybe they'll be given to a Trainer that could care for them just like their previous one. At least that would be something I'll live with._

I stopped walking at the front gate of the small city. I stared at the Bell Tower and suddenly I just felt like I couldn't be angry anymore. Instead, I felt hurt... hurt at all of the disappointment that I've been getting. From Team Rocket because I had to think creatively to be a better battler, from Suicune for not giving me all of my answers, Ho-oh for not explaining everything to me... instead of anger, I felt emotional pain. I wondered if this was what Ho-oh meant; it would all just rise up without my say so.

"It's not fair." I muttered, looking at the Bell Tower from the gate. "All this crap happens to me, and nobody gives any detailed explanation. I'm left in the dark, with only nothing but faith in getting answers soon to keeping me going." I thought about giving up, but a part of me still felt sure it was for a reason. I figured I ought to keep walking, but instead, I just merely sighed.

"Well, then why don't you join with us?"

I was snapped out of my trance as my hair stood on end. I glanced around rapidly, searching for the source of the voice. that familiar chill of danger hit my spine, and I ducked out of blind reflex as I avoided an electric ball of energy. I recognized the attack as Zap Cannon, and I whirled around to face my attacker, who turned out to be a young man of about my height and apparently with a voice that sounded frighteningly recognizable.

I felt a strong wave of fear wash over me like strong waves on the beach. I held my ground, and clenched my fists in an effort to channel the fear elsewhere. I stared on at the shadowed guy and I saw him being accompanied by a Jolteon, where its collar was normally white, it's black, and where its spiky coat was yellow, it's a darker orange.

"You have quite a nerve of steel o face me with a straight face." the guy commented. "perhaps you might not be as weak a human as I think."

I felt a serious urge to run, but something told me to face him. Something was keeping my feet planted where they were. The fear wasn't just from what was flowing out of him.

I felt like I knew him somehow.

"A-Alright, Who the hell are you?" I said, suddenly feeling shaky.

The guy snickered for a couple seconds. "I'm the one you've been looking for, Eric Claid."

It hit me... it occurred to me who this was. I felt my urge to run nearly break, and I stepped back.

"You..." I uttered, my eyes trying to see his face. "You're Silvershade...?"

Darkness Silvershade stepped out, and I froze. I had always gone about saying that this guy merely looked like me. I thought that Silvershade was just a mockup. I felt an instant glance at his mind, and my opinion changed. In his mind, I not only saw images of everything that happened at Oak's labs, at the S.S. tidal, and even with Cassidy... I saw them from my perspective, I was watching my own memories in someone else's mind. That, along with the fact of his appearance, only gave me on true conclusion.

This guy isn't a look-alike, he isn't an imposter. He's not some maniacal fan who admires me so much that he wants to be me. This guy is calculated, aware of what's going on and able to bring about a fake attitude just to mimic another's.

This guy wasn't trying to be me... because he _is_ me.

"So, I can tell you're pretty frightened, boy. It's not much of a surprise, knowing what you're face-to-face with."

_No..._ I still couldn't come to believe my eyes. _ No, this isn't real..._

Silvershade snickered again. "Tell you what, how about I give you a chance to face your fear. A simple Unison Battle to see if you're worthy of the potential I see."

I felt like I had no choice in the matter, but besides that, this guy is me. And odds are, he'll have my sense of strategy. But if I want to show him up once and for all, I'll have to fight him.

"Fine, I'll show you what I can do." I reached over to Blaziken's Pokéball... only to find it wasn't there."Uh..."

_Oh shit..._ I thought, realizing that _none_ of my Pokéballs were on my belt. I left them back at the hotel.

"Hmm, not prepared, are ya?" Silvershade taunted. "Well, too bad, you accepted my challenge, and you WILL follow-up!"

"Raahhhhhhh!" Jolteon leapt at me, its teeth electrified. I stepped aside, not even thinking twice. Suddenly I was flung to my left into a nearby tree. My vision blurred briefly, and I ducked an oncoming Scyther's blade. I pushed forward, and got to my feet and barely avoided a punch from somewhere. Something else slashed me at the side, but no blood was drawn, just a white burning feeling. My mind was reeling from all the attacks coming in from all directions, and as if in minutes, I was down. Small cuts were seen on my arms and waist, a couple of them drawing blood my entire body was beaten by multiple attacks. I tried to get up on my feet, but something clutched my shirt and tugged me to my feet, and the next thing I knew, a blade was at my throat.

My vision was blurry and hazy, I couldn't see or think straight, and the first thing I wanted was to close my eyes and let some rest clear my head. But something told me to stay awake, so I just listened instead. Footsteps were approaching me from directly in front of me. I felt my chin being raised sharply and a rather disgusting and indescribable stench swept my nose.

"You disappointed me, boy. I thought you could handle yourself, but it seems I was wrong." Silvershade hissed. "Quite a shame how you couldn't harness your hidden potential sooner, because the body I've now copied at that old man's place... _your_ body... can be given a much greater strength."

_So, when that shadow engulfed me at the Oak laboratories..._ I thought, the pieces beginning to come together. _It was copying my body?_

I felt my head tingle, which meant telepathy. Silvershade emanated a feeling of a sinister pleasure. "Yeah, now you're getting the idea. You've now understood how I came to be, now did you enjoy that sensation it gave you?"

I thought back on that feeling, though not by my choosing. My double used his telepathy to force the memory through me. It felt like despair that never ended, like my life wasn't really worth living. I felt that I was better off giving in to a cold but peaceful darkness, but something in me told me that I shouldn't accept this. I listened to that side and tried to push away that cold darkness, but then I began to hear voices like some psychotic would.

_They'll never forgive...you've forsaken yourself from them... just give in_.

_No!_ I fought. _I've still got a chance!_

_What chance? A chance to redeem yourself? the Voices continued. Face it, who's going to believe your redemption story?_

"No!" I shouted vocally. "I'm no psycho, I always have a chance when I work hard enough!" I felt like I was tearing myself apart, trashing the inside of my brain to throw out these voices. "JUST LEAVE ME ALOOOONE!"

The voices didn't go away, instead, I heard an endless laughter. My mind was swimming, and I was beginning to lose control of myself. My voice began trailing, from despaired shouts to pitiful pleads for mercy.

I fought harder, my head began getting a headache, and my voice was getting stronger, but the numbness was washing over it, and I fought to maintain the headache. I tried to ball a fist, but my hands were barely moving. More effort, the headache turned into a migraine, nearly threatening to split my head like an egg. I got enough control into my arm for one shot. And I swung with a right punch forward.

"UMPH!" someone grunted, as my fist struck belly, and I shoved my fist with all I had. The world flashed in front of me as my vision quickly returned to normal, though a little unfocused. I dropped to the ground, stunned and mostly still numb.

As my vision focused, I stared helplessly as my shadow image got to his feet with a sinister smirk on his face.

"Gah... not bad, boy." he chuckled for a second. "Maybe you're just trying to get used to the reality still. That strength is definitely going to be mine for sure."

"I don't think so!" Silvershade looked to his left, and jumped back as a Flamethrower was going to hit him. in what I knew was the classic "last minute rescue" cliché, Blaziken and the rest of my Pokémon rushed to stand in between me and Silvershade. To my right, Morty stood at the side, looking between me and him, as if trying to figure out which one is me.

I saw that Riolu was looking between us for a couple seconds before dashing to my side, crying out my name.

"Ewic, Ewic! Ahh you okay?" he cried.

I forced myself to speak. "Ngh, I'm pumped full of Shadow painkillers, I... Geh... can't seem to move. But I'll be okay, Riolu." I clenched my teeth and forced myself to get to my feet.. I stood a little wobbly because I couldn't feel my legs too well, but I stood behind my Pokémon, who stood in Silvershade's way.

Silvershade looked me in the eye, and the smirk on his face made me nervous. But he closed his eyes, as if he was satisfied with something.

"Well then, now that I've finally met you in person, I believe I've seen enough of your potential." Silvershade commented. "Perhaps once it's fully grown, you'll be worth the trouble of taking over."

"So you're Darkness Silvershade, eh?" Gengar said from next to Morty. "Not bad for some weirdly nicked Ditto."

"Am I a Ditto, you say?" Silvershade responded. He pointed at me before saying "Ask HIM that question."

Gengar shifted his gaze to me, with a skeptical look on his face. I only looked down, and even though his thoughts got the message, he couldn't seem to really believe it.

_Who would?_ I thought._ I wouldn't normally believe it, even if the evidence slapped me in the face. _

"Until next time..." Silvershade said. "I'll be sure to make sure you don't slip up on training that potential vessel you have."

I looked up at his expression., confused. "What vessel?" he turned to walk towards Ekruteak. "Hey! What do you mean by vess-...?" he began to fade. "HEY! I'm talking to you! GET BACK HERE!"

I jumped forward, in some attempt to stop him, but when I reached the spot he was standing on, I stopped and fell to my knees. Silvershade was not standing in that spot anymore.

He vanished, leaving me to piddle around with whatever he said... with no clue what it really means.

I closed my eyes and bowed down in an effort to hold in my urge to swear for a few minutes straight. I felt Blaziken's three fingered hand rest on my shoulder. I felt pain strike me again. It's not physical, though, but emotional just like when I looked at the Bell Tower. I punched the ground in a small attempt to drive out my anger, but it stung instead because of my punching that tree before.

"Hey, cool it." he told me. "You've told me to take it easy when the going gets rough. You should do the sa-"

"It's just not fair..." I interrupted him, fighting to hold back tears of frustration. "Why can't I get my answers... why can't I get the simplest things in the whole wide world?"

"What?"

"I came out to vent on the frustration of being left in the dark." I felt numb, like something died in me "But instead of finding a reliable source to learn what's happening to me... I came face to face with him... he has my memories, my appearance, and a shadow that can suddenly make you feel terrified. And what does he tell me... he tells me about some potential vessel, which could mean a chance at taking me over, copying someone else, I can't be too certain.."

I felt like I just want to sleep again... even though it's the middle of the day. Maybe all of this will blow over soon.

Riolu came up in front of me, and held out the pendant to me. "You dwopped tis."

I made a weak smile to Riolu as I took it, but it quickly vanished when I stared at it.

_Why? _I thought._ Why is it that when I look at this thing, I somehow have faith that Ho-oh will bring light to all my questions? I looked at the Bell tower, and I hurt inside... but this thing just seems to give me some 'semblance of hope... I don't understand, why is that? _I looked back at the Bell Tower, and instead of pain, I felt a feeling of determination. It was like the pendant was encouraging me to climb the Bell Tower and meet Ho-oh face-to-face. However, I knew in the back of my mind, that there's WILL be tests I need to pass. Because it's like the old Cliché goes with ancient prophecies, chosen ones and the final destination: there will _always_ be a personally made trial to show whether or not said chosen one is truly worthy of their "destiny" (like I believe it, bah!). If I'm worthy, good for me, I get to embrace what the hell kind of benefits I get next. If I'm NOT, then who knows what happens next, even though it's not going to be good (_Think about it_, no movie director or book author _ever _said what happened if the chosen one was apparently "unworthy". though I don't want to find out firsthand, thanks...)

So, while the Pendant was wordlessly indicating to me that I am to climb the tower, the rest of me told me to rest first, especially my head. I got up to my feet, and the drowsiness quickly hit me. I guess I must have woken up too early this morning, and since I left my PDA at the hotel, I don't know what time it is. Not that it matters much, I'm still going to sleep. I only said "Come on..." and we all went back to the hotel.


	39. Chapter 38: Breadcrumbs to Nowhere

Chapter 38: Breadcrumbs to Nowhere

_I was in the dream world again. Black void, the sense of my being somewhere else than the bed I was actually sleeping in, and the feeling that I might not wake up right away if I tried. I figured I was just going to have another taste of what feelings I was hiding… but I guess it wasn't here. Instead, it just felt numb, like there wasn't anything to feel.. I also didn't feel Ho-oh's presence, which disappointed me, because I hoped I could have the chance to ask him for some explanation…_

_It was a hell of a crazy month I've had lately… it felt only like last week since that attack on my life, and then after that did the fight with Dusknoir follow… it then felt like yesterday when I discovered PokéUnison and I fought Leeroy, and perhaps a couple minutes ago with my arrival at Ecruteak City. It's like I've completely lost any real control of my choices now, and it seriously stinks. I tried to feel in control by searching for answers as I went along, but the best I got was some cryptic prophecy about some three world supervisors, the youngest being sealed, and my involvement with helping out that one.. is that enough…? After two years of listening to many speeches and hidden vocal dialogue around Team Rocket's business, I feel there's more to it._

"_Ho-oh… why can't you tell me what it all means?" I said, apparently thinking out loud. "Why is it that I can't seem to make my own choices without risking my life to those Trushade…things!"_

_I paused for a moment, hoping I'd get an answer… but nothing happened. But my disappointment instead felt more numbing. I considered that perhaps I should just forget it. I should just leave Ecruteak, Viridian City, as well as Team Rocket. I considered just going home back to Lavaridge in Hoenn. Nobody I don't know would bother me, I could take my parents' place in that small family restaurant we all made together., and with the new recipes I know I could make it a little more varied on its menu._

_It was right then, did I feel a familiar glow from my chest. The pendant gave me that inner urge again. To take on the Bell tower and confront Ho-oh. But what's the point? Do I get some almighty power? I would care less. Do I get closure to this mess? Probably not. But most importantly, will it all end! Its one easy answer: NO IT WON'T!_

"_Why should I do this, huh?" I shouted. "Why the hell should I do this instead of just saying 'fuck it' and going home? Ho-oh, at LEAST tell me that. Please!"_

"_**Because if you were to return to your hometown, the ones you call 'Trushades' will follow you."**_

_Ho-oh's fiery presence made itself known. If there was any time that I should demand some answers, now was it.. there's just one problem, what he said about the Trushades stalking me have caught me off guard, and all my questions vanished._

"_What!"_

"_**Do not misunderstand, I find your reasoning perfectly understandable." Ho-oh began. "Unfortunately, ever since you've been chosen for this prophecy, the shadows have marked you as a target of high priority. Either they corrupt you, or they eliminate you. That's how they will work. Should your parents innocently decline the shadow's offers, they will be seen as ones who could fight back. The Trushades will either take them over by force… or they will kill them."**_

"_Wha…? But… but… why would they see them as some kind of threat? Why would the Trushades WANT to target my parents?"_

"_**Think about it, Eric. They are **_**your**_** parents, after all."**_

_It wasn't hard for someone like me to figure it out, but the thought of it still felt impossible to really imagine. "It would be meant to get at me…" I finally gathered all the nerve I had, and I felt like it was about time I get this out of my system._

"_Ho-oh, please, tell me what's my role in all of this." I pleaded. "I've gone through all sorts of problems; I've practically gone through hell and back just so I can finally get some answers as well as a reason to keep following these stupid breadcrumbs to nowhere. Now I 'm utterly desparate, and I'd kneel if I could. Why, WHY am I supposed to do this, when I'm sure there's someone out there who could do better?"_

_A silence stretched out between us for what felt like an half an hour. For the first time since the few conversations I've had with Ho-oh, he seemed to have been finding a proper response._

"_**Truthfully… Eric, I don't believe I have an answer that you'd be satisfied with." **__The Sacred Fire felt like it was humbled, like it tried to meet me on the same social level.__** "Your companionship with your partners are a lot like another individual that I watch over. Unlike you, he hardly ever questioned what task he was given, should it turn out the right thing for all. However, you both understand what truly is wrong for those to go through, and while you'll follow your own goals no matter what the task, he's put his own problems aside for others first. However, you think your actions through, and while you're well aware of what you're doing, you'll do it if you find it justified…whereas he'll act upon impulse and not think through the consequences of his actions until it's too late.**_

_I put the pieces together on who Ho-oh was referring to, and it was easy to figure out that the personality had essentially directed me into a comparison with Ash Ketchum, the only other one that I recall was part of a prophecy (or at least, that's what a local elder told me at the Orange Islands, he said I resembled him through my eyes, but I didn't get it then)._

"_**in a fight like yours, he will not last in the mentality he's in. his impulsiveness will risk more than he can afford to lose, his instinct to do what's right will endanger his friends lives. Should one of his friends be lost in the crossfire, he will be an easy target for corruption. You are not as naïve as he is."**_

_I guess that answers one bit of my question. It turns out Ho-oh did have another possible candidate for all this, but when it came right down to it, I felt more suitable because of the difference in situational mindset. Ash would be well willing to act on what's right for others, but I'll be more likely to consider my options and think on a more level-headed point of view. Now that I think about it… I guess that's the answer for the entire question._

"_It's because of who I am." I said. "This prophecy explains how the chosen of the Sacred Fire will guide the youngest of these three seers. This third seer is immature, and still has yet to completely understand what their options can cause in the long run. And I suppose it's up to me to, essentially, play as the elder brother wherever the seer's true siblings are unable to help."_

_I felt a glimmer coming from the pendant in my chest, but it wasn't the feeling it gave before… instead, it was like a light at the end of a tunnel and I now felt like I can understand what's going on. I smiled, finally satisfied with getting my answers, and now I understand what I've been asked to do._

"_Y'know, Ho-oh, there's this saying many heroes receive before taking on a big task. Usually before making an irreversible choice, they're always told to 'follow your heart.' For the past decades in movies, books, and other kinds of stories, it's been popular belief that it's what the hero truly believes in that they should follow. I think I can see how it feels now; I mainly focused on finding a reason because I felt that all of what's happening was too much to bear. Now that I've found my answers, I don't feel like overbearing with all of this anymore."_

"_**It seems apparent that you should be familiar with another wise phrase." Ho-oh complimented. " 'It's smart to learn from your experiences, but it's wise to learn from others experiences as well.' Despite that you learn your lessons in the most unexpected place for many, I can see that whatever common occurrence has taken place in these 'movies and books' has assisted in your judgement."**_

"_hm…" I nodded. Who knew that the many clichés you can see in movies could actually pay off if you gave it a little thought?_

"_**I believe it's about time you act on your final decision." Ho-oh concluded. "While you understand what's to come in the middle, I shall wait at the top of the tower… to witness firsthand of your ever-growing battle prowess. See you at the top, Eric Claid."**_

I opened my eyes and found everyone looking at me. I winced as I rose from my bed, a little stiff, but overall refreshed.

I looked at Alakazam, sitting next to Riolu. He didn't say anything, but instead gave me a solemn smile and nodded.

I checked the window past Charizard, and it seemed like it was getting dark. I guess I must have been asleep all day.

"Hmph," Charizard snorted. "it's irritating how you can sleep like a rock. You have any idea how many times Riolu tried to wake you up?"

I paused for a moment before glancing at him. His expression was that of worry. But what surprised me is that instead, he just stayed put and didn't say a word. He just stared at me.

"Riolu was the only other one that saw what happened." Alakazam told me. "Everyone else waited for you to wake up. Even Morty stopped by to check up on you."

"oh… sorry about worrying you guys…" I replied meekly.

"Alakazam was able to give us the gist of it," Blaziken crossed his arms, concern in his eyes. "But we don't know much more about what you've decided."

I probed his brain to figure out what he meant, and it seems that all he knows is that my last attempt to get my answers from Ho-oh has proven fruitful. He's learned that I've finally understood what is going on and that he's not sure about my decision regarding what's next..

I took a deep breath, realizing that I really am "Following my heart" when I say what's next.

"I've decided… I've decided to take on the Bell Tower." I said. "I've got my answers, I know the whole story, and now I figure I might as well act on it. We're not the only ones that has proven friendship is the key to true teamwork, but I think we'll be the first ones to prove that this teamwork has potential to conquer whatever's thrown at us." I paused for a moment, and thought twice when Blaziken. "Oh who am I kidding. That theme's been around for years. Suffice it to say, Ho-oh wants to test our skills in a fight, who's to say we can't give him a fight he'll never forget, huh? You guys with me?"

"Yeah!" Riolu cheered.

Blaziken smiled.. "Glad to see you in high spirits again. I'm with you all the way, bud!"

Charizard smirked. "this'll be fun, going wing-to-wing against the legendary Ho-oh just let me know when."

"Then it's settled." Alakazam concluded. "I'll do my best as well."

"Alright, We'll take on the tower tomorrow. Everyone get a good night's rest, and we'll be prepared beforehand, let's show Ho-oh what we're made of, guys!"

"Yeah!"


	40. Chapter 39: Gaze Into Yourself

Chapter 39: Gaze into Yourself

The Next day was easily filled with energetic determination. Since my oh-so-swaying speech last night, we were well set on climbing the Sacred Fire's Bell Tower and facing Ho-oh's challenge head-on. However, I was not one to forget to be prepared, so I stopped by the PokéMart to get some essentials like all-purpose Full Heal cures and the powerful-yet-expensive Full Restoration medicine. (I only bought four because it would otherwise cut my immediate funds by two-thirds).

I visited by the Ecruteak gym to speak with Morty, and I told him of my decision. He was pretty serious in his expression and requested if he could come along to "bear witness to a possible event like this."

"I initially tried my hardest to earn Ho-oh's approval, and I thought that if I could just find my opportunity, maybe I could prove worthy." He said. "unfortunately, it turns out that Ho-oh chose you instead, and I'll respect that decision. However, I've dreamed of at least laying eyes upon Ho-oh once in my life, and he really does appear, I'll be satisfied with that alone."

I ran all that through my head, and I felt rather sorry for him. He tries so hard to earn Ho-oh's recognition, and now he's accepted that maybe he might never get to meet him. Unlike Eusine, he's essentially understood what his chances are, instead of following some hopeless charade that there's still a possibility. After all, he is a rather nice guy,, and if it wasn't for him, I'd be stuck with a lesser hotel room because of my trying to conserve funds…

"Well, I can't see why not…" I replied. "I'll probably be taking a stroll before going to the Tower, how 'bout we meet at the entrance in an hour?"

Morty looked intrigued, but hopeful. "You're thinking he won't mind?"

"Well, as long as you don't try to catch him." I joked mildly. "Besides, I'm pretty sure it's okay, I mean, what would he have against ya?

"ummm…." Morty felt awkward with the question

"Nevermind." I spoke up. "I guess I'm just a little nervous about how I should really greet Ho-oh. I mean, I understood he exists out there, but I hardly ever believed in the legends behind him until recently, when it's really in motion in front of me."

"Ah, now I understand." He said. "You hope on making this meeting feel sincere."

"Yeah…" I nodded. "I've had such a tough time trusting what he's been saying ever since the beginning. And now I felt a little more able to, I figured I'd show it…"

"Alright., I'll have a few more things to take care of, but I'll meet you at the entrance when I'm ready." Morty said.

"Gotcha." I acknowledged., and I left him to his business..

I stopped by the dance hall to watch the Kimono girls, and the girl from before must have recognized me, because her expresseion was in mild surprise. After the show, she took me to a nearby café to talk. Overall, she was a bit nervous to talk to me, and the battle I had with the John Doe Trainer was frequently popping up in her thoughts (particularly the part where Alakazam and charizard were charging the finisher a few seconds before letting me know).. In response I gave her a slight idea of how I taught my pokemon these tricks, which to be perfectly honest, were mostly inspired by the many action movies we watched together (said "it was learning from others" in summary). I decided to change the subject more towards Ho-oh, and I learned a little bit of Ho-oh's backstory, such as how he used his traits as a phoenix-like Pokemon to resurrect Raikou, Entei and Suicune from their fate when the Burnt tower came to be, and how until he flies endlessly through the sky until he finds humanity and Pokémon living in harmony (of which, I can't seem to figure out completely. What kind of harmony? Even she didn't know.).

I paid for the drinks, like the gentalman I am, and bid adieu. I stopped by the Burnt Tower one last time so I could collect my wits about me before taking on this task. I also thought about what aught to happen after this. Should I go back to Team Rocket and return to work, or should I leave them and go travel the world. Training to become the best I am or something.

I chose to give Kevin a message, and I took out my PDA and wrote the following…:

**Kevin,**

**I've been in quite a pickle lately, my thoughts have been in distress as well as my situations. A couple days ago, after the Ferry incident, I befriended a Riolu that travelled with the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia. We were still getting acquainted with each other when I explored Olivine. As I went around the city, though, I noticed a familiar red headed Trainer. It turns out, it was Silver… y'know, Giovanni's "missing" son?**

**Anyways, I came acrossed one of Silvershade's minions, a "Truly Shadow" Pokémon clone of Scyther, who passed on a threat. I returned the vocal hostility, and came to calling those things "Trushades" as a shortened Name. at that point, Rockets Cassidy and Butch had followed me without telling Giovanni until after I left to get food supplies. I caught them in the act, and Giovanni told me I should let them keep an eye on me. I reluctantly accepted his order, which wasn't much, and they went to their rooms before I decided to crash for the night.**

**I was interrupted in the middle when Butch screamed, and at first I saw Cassidy and a Machoke restraining Butch. I initially thought on an inappropriate mindset, because I was half-asleep. But when I wondered about Machoke, a smack to the chest woke me up alarmed. We fought the machoke as well as a few other Trushades in the hotel room, and then to the ground floor. When I fought against Cassidy herself,. I was taken to what seemed to be a nightmare. I helped her conquer it, and I learned she was apparently taken over by someone, who claimed to be her darkside.**

**The next day, I finally arrived in Ecruteak City. I took a quick detour towards the Burnt Tower and ran into some kind of ceremonial fight that I was forced into. It was done as something called a "Unison Battle", so I was stuck being part of the actual fighting, as was my opponent. I won the match thanks to Alakazam and Charizard, and met the Ecruteak Gym leader, Morty, who apparently paid for my Hotel room.**

**The next day I had was stressful. I encountered the legend named Suicune, who told me of a prophecy involving three seers… (of which I didn't really understand). A weirdo named Eusine interrupted my interrogation, and left me in a foul mood. It wasn't much better when I received a telepathic message telling me to come to terms with what I've done, as well as my hidden feeling. I stomped off to let out some steam, only to face the guy who I once thought of as an imposter. Unfortunately, to my horror, I discovered that this guy was in fact my dark clone. He was about to take over my mind, when my resistance gave enough time for Blaziken to rescue me like the hero's allies would in the movies.**

**Well, I've rambled on long enough, and I need to get going, hope everything's doing okay, I'll see you guys when I get back. Don't do anything stupid or reckless, you hear?**

**Your friend,**

**Phoenix**

I put my PDA away, and headed out the Burnt Tower… but when I started walking towards the Bell Tower…

*BEEPBEEP, BEEPBEEP, BEEPBEEP*

_That was fast…_ I thought, opening the message.

**Phoenix, I can't make this message very long, but it seem that this takeover you saw with Cassidy is happening all over. It's gotten so bad that we're now stuck in here, hiding from everyone else. Hell, even Syrus is acting a little weird, getting angry a lot, often for no reason. I'll let you know if anything big happens, but be careful.**

**Kevin**

"Hm?" I read it again. _what in the world could possibly be going on back there? I thought. Well perhaps I'll find out once I get this over with._ With that in mind, I headed off to the Bell Tower, and after passing a couple monks (who let me pass when they saw my pendant), I met up with Morty at the entrance..

"There you are." He told me, "You're late."

"Sorry." I apologized. "I needed to get my thoughts straightened out."

"hmm…" he nodded. And I took another moment to look at the Tower's detail, and unlike from a distance, it felt awe striking.

"It feels a lot more graceful up close, than it does from a distance…" I said. Alright, I ended my sightseeing moment, and took a deep breath before we walked in.

I found a ladder that led to the next floor. But when I looked towards the bottom, I found a monk, who was apparently guarding it. I walked in his direction, and he stopped me, sas the pendant, but did not move.

"I've heard of you." The monk told me. "But I have been givent divine instruction to see if you're truly ready for what you're meant to face." He took a quick glance in my eyes, but then he closed his eyes, paused, and then said "in this test, your companions must accompany you, as well as from now on. You may select four of you five companions, the Charizard I've been told you have will have to wait until the final test.."

I followed his instructions and opened the Pokéballs containing Riolu, Blaziken, Marshtomp and Alakazam.

"What's goin' on?" Riolu asked, looking around. "Are we in ta Towah? Ewic?"

"Chosen one of the Sacred Fire, you and your companions will be tested on your own personal aspects of each other. The Test that the divine Ho-oh has decided is meant for you, Eric Claid, and nobody else. Your companions will be spectating in these tests as you perform them."

The monk pulled out a mirror from underneath his robes, and he held it up to his chest. "Gaze into yourself, and you'll experience what it's like for you and your companions to act as one."

I looked in the mirror, but instead of my reflection, I saw a whitish blue abyss. For a few second, it was nothing. I jolted when my face faded into view. I gazed down into the eyes that looked back with a blank expression, unlike that of a reflection. The picture felt a little fuzzy around the eyes, just as I felt a weird feeling through my body. It felt in my mind like a wind was blowing, but the rest of my body felt stil air with not even a breeze. The feeling ended, and my own eyes widened. Riolu took a sharp breath, and somehow, I felt he was a little scared at the picture. Most of my face remained the same, except that my eyes changed to a crimson red color, and the pupils were narrowed to slits, like that of a small cut.

_***FLASH***_

_The anger rose again, seemed to surround the void, and without warning, I felt a splitting headache and instinctively shut my eyes. I couldn't scream in pain, but it seemed like a weight that I haven't found the grip for.. I clutched my head, as if trying to grab it, and as I fought against the weight, the headache tried to make itself feel worse._

_*BOOM…BOOM…BOOM!*_

_An unknown force blasted through me, pandemonium rushed through my mind as if to drive me mad. The force blasted me back as if to keep me away from something…. Wait a minute. Then it occurred to me. Through all this pain, this weight, and the force, it's keeping me away from something. I forced myself to try opening an eye, and through it was a large double door with two handles as long as my elbow-to-hand. I felt the pain growing quickly as my open eye loosened my grip on the migraine. My fingers felt plastered on my head and we shaking when I tried to grab one of the handles. The force blasted, and the pain intensified, urging me to bring my hands back to fight the pain. The weight felt like a magnet of the same type as my hand, pushing me back. But the minute, the instant, my hand grasped the darkened gold of the door handle, the pandemonium ended. The pain vanished like I had imagined it, the force wasn't pushing me away, and my gravity felt normal…_

_But something didn't feel right, somehow I knew I was supposed to open this door, but it felt like the rest was easy… a bit too easy. Slowly and cautiously, I took my other hand off my head, and brought it towards the other handle. And on the mental count of three, I clutched it, and all the psychosis shot through me again._

"_**SHHREEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHRRRRR!"**_

"_NGYYAAHHHHH!"_

_The sound was deafening! Never in my life have I ever heard an endless screech like that, and unlike before, I definitely heard myself screaming... my body felt stiff as it was under a painful electrocution sensation rippled throughout my body. I gritted my teeth, and stamped back, tugging at the handles as I went… The Doors wouldn't budge, but I will not quit. I pulled harder, despite the electric shock surging through._

"_Open, dammit, come on!" I squeezed my eyes shut, and for some reason, the shock felt distant. I pulled harder., feeling like I was possessing superhuman strength. "God dammit! I… Said… OPEEEEN!"_

_Immediately, I pull with everything I could possibly bring out, and the door began to open.. White light began to seep out from the gap between the doors. The door was slowly opening on its own, and my body mostly felt limp, all but the hands still gripping the handles. However, just as the doors were halfway open, the light engulfed me in a familiar wave of warmth…_

I faded back to earth, panting slightly like I would from a nightmare. I recognized that vision, it was when Ho-oh first tested my will back at the Rocket base. I felt the sense of fear being emanated. I didn't avert my gaze from the mirror, and

The reflection on the monk's mirror was a real reflection of my face, but my eyes became a fiery yellowish orange. I also felt the minds of my partner Pokémon as if they were mine.

_Whoa…_ I thought.

"_Acting as one…" this feels cool. But what's it for…?_ Blaziken wondered

"Understanding the meaning of teamwork is important." The monk said. "Acting as one, however, requires this bond between you all to grow even stronger. Should you pass Ho-oh's test and Earn the ability to use the Sacred Fire, you will be one step closer to realizing the potential you all have together."

I closed my eyes, and what I felt in my being was incredible… I felt Blaziken's fighting instinct, Alakazam's keen memory and advanced intellect, Marshtomp's optimism and bubbly perspective, as well as Riolu's curiosity. It felt like my own personality and being were only a piece of puzzle, and everyone else helped complete it.

Riolu's thoughts became that of wonder. He felt everything I was, and the feeling quickly washed over the rest of us. I kept my gaze on the mirror, and it then faded from my picture, to Blaziken, then Alakazam, Marshtomp, and finally Riolu. And the one thing we all had in common was that our eyes had turned a yellowish orange. The mirror returned to my portrait, and as the feeling disappeared, my eyes returned to their normal, emerald green color.

_Interesting._ I thought. _So with good use of this synchronize ability, we can not only work out strategies between each other in battle, but it can also help us understand each other. Possibly bring us closer as friends. But, how would I be able to use this…?_

"Chosen one of the Sacred Fire." The monk told me. "Now you have been deemed ready by the Divine Ho-oh to take the tests… but, are you _yourself_ ready to begin?"

I didn't hesitate to answer, but when I opened my mouth to say yes, I faintly heard something behind me.

"Hey! Whatcha going there for, Explotaro?" the voice sounded like Gold's, though upon hearing Explotaro's name, it became obvious. A few seconds later, Explotaro the Typhlosion came bounding towards us, stopping at the entrance, panting slightly. Gold sped close, and then braked on what looks like a skateboard.

He stood at the entrance, as if waiting for something; the monk walked over to him, exchanged words with him, and returned.

"This young man would also wish to witness you participate in these tests. However, while I do not know if Ho-oh approves of this, I want to know if _you_ do."

I approved him, and then asked for an explanation. Explotaro had inclined to Gold that he aught not to miss this, and Gold overheard one of the monks talking about "'the chosen one has embarked to meet Ho-oh', whatever that means." He personally wasn't interested, but Explotaro was. I began wondering if I should limit them, but Morty told me he won't get in the way (which told me they know each other), and with a deep breath, we all climbed the ladder… as well as up the tower.


	41. Chapter 40: The Other Way Around

Chapter 40: The Other Way Around

It felt like the tower was taller than it is outside. The inside of the Bell Tower felt like an escalating maze instead of a sacred structure, where every couple ladders would lead to a dead end, and I felt weird every time I found myself at one. The feeling wasn't disappointment, but rather, I felt like I was being scanned, like every bit of me was being observed. Eventually, after climbing on the right path so far, I looked back and Explotaro was not having a fun time with the ladders. After getting to the floor the rest of us were on, he hunched over, panting.

"How… do you humans… do it?" he complained. "You're able to… climb these… things… so easy…?

"It's because you're so heavy, Explotaro." I replied. "When climbing ladders off the floor, you're pulling your weight with you. On a slope, it's not as bad because you can place your weight on the—"

*BWOOshhh*

I was interrupted when a fireball blasted in my face. Normally, that would blacken some random guy, but it felt more like a blast of hot wind.

"Alright. Onward" I said. And Explotaro groaned.

The ladders still felt like they were leading me upward forever. A couple of times I hit dead ends, but one time, a small bag was on the floor. I opened it upside down, and all that came out was ash. I shook the ash off, and the Typhlosion sneezed. I didn't think much of it until he exclaimed how he suddenly feels able to fight anyone. I turned back, and stared in confusion at his sudden zeal.

"That must have been the Sacred Ash." Morty mused. "Legends say that it's created by the very ashes of Ho-oh's feathers. It's healing ability is phenomenal."

Apparently… I thought. I looked around, and found another ladder before continuing.

The maze seemed to become a bit trickier from here, as I was running us all into quite a lot of dead ends. Unlike before, though, I found quite a few things littered around, finding a Full Restore bottle strangely unused, then I find one of those energy herbs I learned about back home. About half a dozen dead ends, and a couple floors later, the path fell to a wide straightaway bridge. The bridge looked like it was old fashioned, but it felt like it was recently made. The wood didn't creak when we stepped on it, and it was rather stable.

"_**Trust."**_

I stopped, and from the sounds of it, so did Blaziken and Marshtomp. Everyone else stopped, though not as sudden as me, Marshtomp, and Blaziken. I looked around; trying to find the source of the voice, but nobody else was there. I looked back at the ladder, and I found Blaziken standing in my way. No, Wait, I looked back, and the Blaziken I know is standing next to me. I looked back at the one in my way, and for some reason, they looked exactly the same to me (which is freaky, because unlike most other trainers, I would recognize my Pokémon immediately).

"_I'm not the one standing next to you, Eric."_ The Blaziken said. _"But you've got a sharp eye to notice we look identical."_

"Whoa!" Gold exclaimed. "You can talk!"

_Hmm._ I thought. _I guess this must be some apparition or illusion, because Blaziken would normally have trouble speaking human fluently, because of his tongue._

"I would recognize my closest friends." I declared. "I would be ashamed to be a good friend if I didn't."

"_Hmph, that's 'good and dandy,' as some of you humans say."_ The Apparition said. _"But how much would you trust your friends?"_

"What do you mean?"

The Apparition softened the expression in his eyes, much like Blaziken when he smiles. _"You're well aware of how a Pokémon Trainer commands their partners in a battle. But if the time were to come, would you trust your friends enough to let it happen the other way around?"_

"I don't think I understand completely…" I thought about it briefly. "Are you saying one of my Pokémon friends command _me_ in a fight?"

"_This will be your test, Eric Claid."_ The apparition's expression turned gravely serious. _"This will test your trust in your partners when the circumstances demand it. You yourself will utilize your 'Pokémon Unison' transformations in this fight. Whereas, your immediate partners and your psychic Pokémon will agree on who should lead in this battle."_

It felt weird to imagine right away: A Pokémon commanding a Trainer… I mean, what is this, _Soviet Russia_? It didn't make matters any better when Gold was snickering behind me, either. On the other hand, despite the idea being strange to imagine for an ordinary trainer like Gold, I'm confident with trusting the judgment of my best partners. After all, I taught Blaziken everything I learned in regards to tactics, and then Alakazam's Pokédex entry can explain his case for me.

"Alright, let's give this a shot. Now, what's the catch regarding Unison?" I noted the use of Unison, but not PokéForm.

"_You catch on quick, as suspected." _The Blaziken apparition commented. _"The 'catch', as you describe it. Is that you must be in Pokémon Unison in order to attack, you cannot use your PokéForm Imitation attacks, let alone fight in your normal human body."_

"I don't understand…" Morty said. "What's the reasoning for this test? What exactly does it test in Eric?"

The apparition looked past me at Gold. "I believe your hysterical young friend over there has figured it out already."

Gold was finally starting to lose the humorous effect, though primarily due to not breathing easily. Explotaro stopped instantly in a confused expression, and looked at his Trainer. Gold stopped laughing, but still had a grin on his face. He then glanced at us, spouting "What?"

"It's to emphasize trust in judgment." I said, turning back at the apparition. "Traditionally, Pokémon will follow the guidance of a Trainer to achieve victory in a Pokémon Battle. But while Pokémon will listen to a trainer's orders, this doesn't mean that they're incapable of learning from us. IF what I'm told is correct, this is to prove the point of whether or not a human's consciousness is capable of trusting a Pokémon's judgment if they gave orders…" I felt like I was falling back down to earth from orbit. "Do I understand this right?"

The Apparition nodded with a bright smiling expression on the Blaziken's face. _"Exactly right. You know, there was a word that you humans will use to describe exceptional ones like you…"_

"What, a prodigy, a genius?" I inquired. "I wouldn't call myself either of them; I just listen to a lot of good advice… that's all."

"_Small talk aside, has the Unison Leader been chosen?"_

Blaziken, Marshtomp, and Riolu all jolted. And I sighed as I plucked out Alakazam's Pokéball. And it was just as I tossed it backwards did I hear "I'll do it!"

The voice wasn't Riolu's, nor was it Blaziken's...

"_Is this the group's decision?"_ The Apparition asked, before receiving a quick "Yep!"

I looked back behind me to look at the source of the voice, only to find Alakazam curious of the situation, Riolu confused, Blaziken horrified… and Marshtomp…smiling…

_PLEASE tell me it wasn't Marshtomp that opened his mouth._ I thought, though the look on his face made me nervous.

"_Understood, the Pokémon Marshtomp will take the lead in this battle."_

"Ho-hold on a second!" Blaziken said in panic. The Apparition gazed in inquiry. I looked back at Blaziken and crew, and Alakazam sighed.

"Are you crazy?" Blaziken scolded him. But Marshtomp was well set on it. "What are you doing?"

"I wanna lead the way!" Marshtomp replied casually, before shouting. "C'mon, let's do this thing!"

Right away, a light flashed in front of me and knew I was being teleported somewhere. My eyes opened seconds later, and I remembered the location as the same arena that we fought in back at the theater. Blaziken, Alakazam, Riolu, and Marshtomp were on a platform next to my side of the arena; then Morty, Gold, and Explotaro were standing on a platform beside them.

I looked back at Marshtomp, and thought of how often he was around when I taught Blaziken. I'm hoping I can trust him in being a leader. Unfortunately, it occurred to me that he wasn't there often when I taught Blaziken, so I felt a little nervous. Despite the fact that he looks so confident right now, if he is what I hope he is not, then I'm gonna be in trouble…

_Don't lose your cool, Eric…_ Alakazam assured me. _Whenever Marshtomp was sleeping in, he was frequently quoting what you usually say in a battle. I would know since I hear him mutter in his sleep while meditating._

I didn't respond back, but I hoped Marshtomp knew what he's doing.

"_Pokémon Leader… choose the Unison to command!"_ the Apparition's voice echoed.

"Huh?" Marshtomp didn't quite get it.

"Who should Eric fight as?" Blaziken summarized.

"OHHH! Try me! Me, Me!" Marshtomp shouted. Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly a well versed command, and I had to follow commands if I want to pass this test. But since I had to follow exact command, I simply stood there, hoping my awkward expression could do the talking for me.

"The Leader chooses Marshtomp Unison." Blaziken translated.

Trying my best to get over the awkward feeling, I pulled out Marshtomp's Pokéball and said the command, picturing Marshtomp's appearance.

"PokéUnison, Marshtomp!"

Even as a light blinded me while this change was happening, the rest of the world felt like it was rising up towards me. My arms began to shrivel up as if they became noodlfied (if that's even a real word) and my head felt like it was a small ball of moldable clay (the name escapes me, I know little children played with it), being shaped into that of a football, with my eyes being near the ends of it like a Magikarp or some other fish… the rest of me began to shrink like what you see in that one movie with the kids and the shrink ray. The light faded away, and while my vision was a little wider than normal, it turns out I'm not going to have a sharp sense of sight either.

I hopped on one foot, then the other, and it seems like I'm going to be a bit limited on regards to mobility. My current Unison body feels lighter in weight, so I might be able to move in the air a little bit. I easily felt Marshtomp's personality: playful, and under the idea that all this is still a game, no matter how dangerous. It made me feel like following the same mindset, but I was too worried of winning this fight in one piece than playing a game like some little kid.

_Marshtomp needs a reality check, this is too crazy for a game._ I thought.

"_In this Test, your Unison Leader will command your actions in battle against three opponents."_ The Apparition suddenly took on my form with the reddish eyes I saw in the mirror. _"Only the Leader can be heard from the Unison Pokémon, blocking out only those not of the leader. Between each round, the Unison Leader may be changed, and each opponent will be chosen according to a decided disadvantage seen either in the Unison Leader, or the Unison Pokémon. What the disadvantage is will not be told, and is unable to be revealed by the Unison Pokémon… by any means."_ I followed the Apparition's eyes and found he meant Alakazam. Unless I can find some chance of Marshtomp figuring out his commanding flaw, I'm in trouble…

The Apparition lifted a crystal blue Pokéball and with one hand, and dropped it. When the Pokémon appeared, He began to fade away.

The Pokémon wasn't anything I've seen before, though it looked very familiar. The Pokémon was about my immediate height, and appearance wise, looked a lot like Roselia. Except the top is crowned like a white flower, the red and blue rose buds on its arms seemed to have tripled.

I tilted my head at the Pokémon in a gesture of curiosity. "Hmm, never seen you before…"

"_Your first opponent is Roserade." _The Apparition said. _"Unison Leader, you alone are to guide your partner to victory, and then you may pass on the leadership to another of your own. Your group shall not be allowed to proceed until you clear this first test."_

"Marshtomp, I'll have faith you're able to judge how to give orders in this fight." I said, looking him in the eye. "I can't dodge without your say-so, I can't attack without your say-so…" as I was saying this, Marshtomp was beginning to feel less and less confident.

"W-wait…" he said nervously. "I'm just standing in your place, you can do all the thinking…right?"

Great, I'm as good as dead. I thought. "Marshtomp… I can't win this fight unless you tell me how. But again, I'm sure you'll do fine."

The look on his face was what I'm going to see on my tombstone… the dread made me think I've lost already.

"Begin!" the Apparition declared.

"Pedal Dance!" Roserade shouted in what sounded like a distinguished female voice. She spun around quickly and cherry blossom pedals swirled around, only for her to send them in my direction.

"D-Dodge it!" Marshtomp shouted, and I dove to the left as the swirling sakura pedals were going right.

"U-use Earthquake!"

Instinct felt like it knew how. Following it, I raised both my small arms, and after a second's focus, I threw them down to the floor feeling the shockwave it created. I looked up only to realize Roserade wasn't on the ground. My gaze moved upwards only to find-…

*Rushtshtshtshtshtshtsht*

"GAHHH!" I felt like my body was on fire as I was being shredded by Razor Leaves. My shut eyes couldn't see a thing, but the pain only intensified when I was hit with an energy blast of some kind. The impact knocked me backwards and face down on the floor.

"Eric!" Marshtomp cries as I try to force myself up. My body feels weakened, unwilling to move, but I got to my feet and tried hard to keep my wobbling balance.

Roserade appeared intrigued. "Most combatants of your type would have been knocked out by now… being a Water and Ground hybrid." She commented, smirking. "You sure are a stubborn one; I like that in an opponent."

My mind, however, was panicking due to the lack of tactics commands. _Please, Marshtomp… I need some help here…_

"Use Ice Beam!" Marshtomp commanded. Although I didn't easily find the strength myself, my Marshtomp body opened its mouth and a blue colored bolt fired off towards Roserade. She avoided it effortlessly, sidestepping to the left, and then raised an arm before firing a bright green ball of energy. Instinctively, I ceased fire and stepped aside, but I was close enough to feel the energy it held as it passed. The Ice Beam hit the ground, and froze the area around it. I looked at it, and an idea hit me… now my only hope is if Marshtomp can spot the idea.

"Pedal Dance!" Roserade spun around, and another whirlwind of sakura pedals was swirling in my direction. My vision began blinking white every step as I dashed for the Ice splotch as I was avoiding the two whirlwinds of cherry blossom madness. A third one came directly at me, but was only when I changed direction did I realize I was on the ice. I slipped and fell on my side bumping into the wall.

"Hydro Pump!" I heard Marshtomp say, I found myself thankful of the lack of detail; I aimed away from Roserade and forced water outward from my mouth. The push of the water propelled me backward on the ice, sending me into a backward tumble the instant I hit regular floor.

I hit another invisible wall in my tumble headfirst. I didn't feel much pain after that, so I assumed that I avoided the Pedal Dance. I got to my feet, the daze in my mind leaving, and I shot off another Hydro Pump at Roserade. To my aggravated disbelief, Roserade recovered from her confusion rather quickly and jumped aside. I smelled something that felt rather soothing, and I realized it as Aromatherapy, Roserade's cure to just about anything, which helped the ache in my body by a quite a bit…

_Graaahh, DAMMIT!_ I thought, enraged. _I was so sure I've fought a battle like this with Marshtomp. If he doesn't remember that key strategy…!_

"Umm, U-Use Ice Beam, uhh, E-Everywhere." Marshtomp said uncertainly.

_Yes! He Remembered! _Using Ice Beam multiple times, I eventually froze the floor solid. Roserade began to use Pedal Dance again, but with the Ice not giving much traction to her feet, she found herself spinning faster than usual. Three sakura whirlwinds were thrown wildly, and unlike before, Roserade just kept on spinning, leaving her wide open!

"Ahh! One More Ice Beam!" Marshtomp began catching on. I fired another Ice Beam and it wrapped around Roserade, as if she was swirling it around her. I kept it focused, and after fifteen more seconds, she was encased in a spiraling ice block.

"Awwww, MAN." I whined suddenly. "That's a Kodak Moment right there…"

"Earthquake!" Marshtomp shouted confidently. I raised my arms, almost automatically, and slammed down with everything I've got. I looked up at Roserade, and the only thing that moved were shocked eyes. The shockwave cracked the ice slightly, before erupting from underneath Roserade. The Opponent was launched upwards into the air, a gaping hole where the Pokémon was frozen before. I looked at where Roserade was falling, only to find one of the wooden boards spiked up to meet her head.

Alarms went up in my mind about the result, and I pushed off hard and tackled Roserade out of the way. She landed on the ground, unconscious, and I sighed of relief before a rush of numbness washed over me. I wasn't tired, not in the slightest, but taking all those hits and staying awake was not fun.

"_Round one, cleared."_ The Apparition's voice boomed in my voice. _"Admittedly a bit of a rocky start, clearly an indication of an uncertainty between the Trainer and Marshtomp, but the Trainer was able to maintain his trust in his partner and not go against orders, which signifies potential. Good Work, you two."_

"Phew." I sighed and revert back to my normal form, which after looking at myself, was apparently bruised and banged up. I used Alakazam's Recover to take care of those, and I stood up shakily.

"_Does Marshtomp wish to remain as the Unison Leader?"_ the Voice said.

"No!" Marshtomp shouted immediately, I looked at his expression and saw guilt in his eyes.

_Marshtomp…_ I said mentally, he turned and looked at me straight in the eye. _Don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone who takes command learns from their mistakes, even me. We still won, and it was because we did it as a team, that's all that matters. So don't feel bad, odds are it's gonna get tougher when we face Ho-oh, be we can all do that as a team._

Marshtomp felt relieved, and made his usual big grin to show it. I glanced at Riolu who was looking at me in worry. I smiled big for him, and he softened up a little. His thoughts still felt worried for me, but he's still optimistic about how things will turn out.

"_Who shall be the replacement Unison Leader?"_

I looked at Alakazam and Blaziken, and they seemed to have come to an agreement. Alakazam hovered to the front.

"I, Alakazam, will serve as the Unison Leader!" he declared. "And I declare that my Unison form be used in this fight."

The idea of Alakazam Unison was interesting; I smirked in curiosity as I pulled out Alakazam's Pokéball.

"P-PokéUnison, Alakazam!" ugh, I'm still a bit shaky.

Unlike before, where I felt like I could describe the transformation, I instead felt a mental rush. It felt like my mind suddenly feels like it's able to do so many more things at once without giving me a headache. When the rush was over, I was standing without the light… but it turns out something was different. Particularly due to the fact that I had a large fox-like tail… That means…!

"Hey! Why am I a KADABRA?" I shouted. "Is there some kind of criteria for Alakazam Unison, is that it?"

_Well, Eric, think of yourself in my place… I've lived quite awhile, and I've grown fairly wise as a result. _Alakazam said mentally. _You're still fairly young, so you should give yourself a few years to grow. After all, you're still physically fit with your youth. At my age, my body's grown old and I'll rely on my mind and intellect to win._

_Hmm… _I grew quiet then. After all, Alakazam IS my oldest Pokémon, despite the fact that I've been with Blaziken since I set out from home. When I first met him as a Kadabra, he was not a very easy Pokémon to catch, but eventually I was able to turn the tables on him when he levitated Blaziken (who was then a Combusken, his previous form) a little too close. One Flamethrower at point blank range did the job, and it wasn't until after my first five months in Team Rocket until I began trying to talk with him…

The Apparition appeared again as my original form, with the beast-like crimson eyes as before, while I was reminiscing. The Clear blue Pokéball formed in his hand, and it hit me then that I don't see Roserade anymore. As the Apparition dropped the Ball, I decided that it was just an illusionary Pokémon and it must have faded away. The Pokémon that came around I quickly was able to recognize because I really wanted one at some point.

The opponent this time was Weavile, an Evolved form of Sneasel that I have yet to figure out how to get. Judging from the appearance, this one is female. A red fan-like array of some kind circled the top of her head, with two parts of it hanging down on the sides like jewelry. Males would have larger pieces on their sides than the females, which distinguishes them. Compared to a Sneasel, the Weavile's claws are much sharper, and judging from the sinister look on her face, this battle might not be as pretty as before.

"_Round 2"_ the Voice echoed. _"Begin!"_

"Stay Back!" Alakazam Ordered. I stood at the ready, and Weavile charged rapidly.

"Teleport and get out of the way!" Weavile, only inches away from tackling me with Quick Attack, wasn't able to hit me before I teleported. I appeared on the opposite side of the arena, and she charged again. As instructed, I kept my distance, but once Weavile began to snicker, and I was growing irritated.

"Eric, do not forget what type Sneasel is." Alakazam warned, and I relaxed quickly. Sneasel is a Dark typed Pokémon, and if Weavile is the evolved form… then it hit me. Weavile and Dark type Pokémon in general, that's Alakazam's primary flaw!

_Seems like you're figuring it out… _He said. _They're taking advantage of our reliance in Psychic attacks, so we'll have to find a way to use Weavile's attacks against her._

"C'mon, boy, don't you have the creative tactics you're famous for?" Weavile taunted, but instead of angering me, I was confused.

"Famous? Me?"

Weavile charged at me with Quick Attack for a third time.

"Teleport once more." Alakazam ordered. But when I vanished, I only saw her for half a second before she vanished as well. Before it registered to either of us, something shoved itself into my back, knocking me forward.

"Augh. What was…?" I grunted

"Aww, did the wittle boy fall down?" Weavile taunted. "Get used to it, you'll never get away from me."

"Grrrr." The Pain seemed to pulse through my body, apparently it must have hurt worse than I thought.

_That attack must have been Pursuit…_ Alakazam observed. _Maintain a safe distance while I try to come up with something._

"Prepare yourself, boy." Weavile jeered, and again, she charged, except with her claws up.

"Heee heee." I responded with a quirky tone. Weavile didn't hesitate to commence her assault. I didn't really think much about where they came from, though, all I know is that I was moving quickly to avoid them. I bumped into the arena, and rolled along it to get around, only to get hit by a VERY Cold breeze. My body was too cold to move quickly, and I had to Teleport again to get out of there.

_Eric, use the board over there as a weapon!_ Alakazam called.

I looked around somewhat rapidly, then I glanced at the hole.

"Duck!" he shouted, and all I felt there was a sudden drop in cold temperature on the top of my head as I narrowly avoided an Ice Beam.

_Near the hole, there's a loose board you can use as a club!_ Alakazam directed, and I spotted it, a loose slab of wood sticking slightly up from where the Earthquake struck Roserade last round.

A claw slashed me across the side of my face, and I began dodging for a couple seconds.

_Teleport and use Psychic on that slab._ Alakazam directed. _The Rake trap gag, remember?_

I instantly used Teleport and appeared atop the loose slab, and glanced at Weavile who, as I figured, had disappeared. I hope this works… I prayed, as I slammed down the board with nearly all I got with Psychic.

*THWACK!*

By a thankful MIRACLE, I hit Weavile dead-on, breaking the slab in two and sending her flying high.

"Not enough, launch the boards!" Alakazam commanded.

Remembering what he taught, I focused Psychic into what I pictured. This case was a larger hand to pick it up with, and like I would a boomerang, tossed it with a spin before grabbing the other. Weavile's altitude began to drop then, the first board going over her, and I threw the other board a little lower…

*BONN*

"Ah…!" it was a direct hit, and on the side of the head, too, except the sound of impact was louder than I hoped. Weavile's body landed in a violent spin and lay motionless on the floor.

Weavile became crystalline blue before slowly vanishing.

"Would that…" I said nervously… "Would a hit that hard have been fatal…?"

"_If it will make you feel a little better, then no, it's not immediately fatal."_ The Apparition reappeared, once again in my human form. _"However, it was very close, if Weavile wasn't given attention quickly, it would have been." _

I gulped as I returned to normal form, and my legs buckled as my vision suddenly began to spin. Whoa, I've had dizzy spells before when I was occasionally getting smacked in the head by Machoke a few months back, but this was… like, I was high or something. It was like some out-of-body experience where my mind just got whisked away in some tornado, and instead of screaming and thrashing, I just felt like going "Durrrrrr" like I was brain-dead or something. This only affected my sight, movement, and perhaps make me lightheaded, though; so I could still hear… sorta.

I just couldn't move for awhile…

"_Using you Unison form's Psychic ability will bring over that same stress to your original body."_ The Apparition said. _"Your original body has yet to be able to handle such stress easily. Were this your average human under the same conditions, the least you'll have is what you humans call a 'stroke'. Be thankful that your current experience in the Psychic time."_

"W-wha…?" I uttered. _Whoa! Pressure like that will instantly cause a stroke on someone? I can already imagine what kind of death the worst case scenario gets you._

The daze was fading, but very slowly, enough to be able to try moving. I shut my eyes to help me get better control of my balance, and struggled to my feet.

"_Two long rounds, and you're still willing to keep fighting…"_ The Apparition said, what form it was, I have no idea. _"I'm impressed that you've held to Ho-oh's expectations."_

"If I had… any say in it…" I panted. "I would have… ducked out now… to rest… But, I don't, do I?"

"_Like the more optimistic humans would say, 'there's always a silver lining.'_ The Apparition replied. _"You've proven to be able to trust your partners' judgment so far, that same judgment they relied on under your leadership."_

I felt a bit better about moving around, and it felt like the dizziness was disappearing. I opened my eyes slowly, and while the spinning has stopped for the most part, everything was still a little blurry. As my sight was restoring itself, I saw what was apparently my final opponent.

"_Your Unison leader has been decided as your Blaziken, and he's chosen his own Unison as well."_

"Why am I not surprised…?" I said sarcastically, irritated that I hadn't heard it. "At least I'm more familiar with this one…"

I took Blaziken's Pokéball out of my belt. While doing so, my knuckle bumped into Alakazam's Pokéball, which had been apparently been returned to its proper place without my realizing it until now.

I glanced at the Pokéball for a second and figured: _the world will never know._

I wound up randomly picturing that one TV show with the ordinary teenagers who get these strange belt-buckle-like items that turns them into superheroes… they usually had this cheesy line before they transformed… uhh, what was it again…?

"_Your final opponent is Mismagius. Should you claim victory once more, you'll have cleared this long and difficult task."_

Wait! I remember now! They said: "It's morphin' time!" Hah hah hah, I feel like one of those guys, doing PokéUnison! Hah hah hah…..ugh, thankfully with none of that spandex shit.

I tossed the Pokéball upwards slightly, saying the "PokéUnison, Blaziken!" command before catching it and transforming into Blaziken.

I stood forward, fairly worn out, but not enough to demand air. Mismagius was yet another Pokémon that looked familiar. Judging from just the coloring, and the "Mis-" in its name, I'll guess it has something in common with "Misdreavus". The Pokémon had a wispy appearance due to the typical lack of legs for Ghost Pokémon., the head was actually a bit small, with the neck being all squished up and then stretched and stuff, and a medium large hat that you'd see on some old style witch.

"Heh heh, let's see what you can do…" Mismagius said, the tone indicating it to possibly be male, and began swaying in the air. I stood at the ready, my worn out body slightly sore due to the previous battles.

"Hang in there, Eric." Blaziken reassured me. "Just one more fight, and we can move on."

"Alright, lead the way." I replied.

"_Begin!"_

Mismagius zipped towards me and out of reflex, my body stiffened up, bracing for some kind of attack. Instead, it just stopped directly in front of me, his eyes flashing purple. I jumped back, to try and maintain some kind of distance, and for some reason, the lightheaded feeling returned, causing me to stumble backwards before getting back up. I kept walking backwards and bumped into something unlike a wall. I turned around, and found Charizard and Blaziken, eyes glazed over.

"Heh heh heh, feels like your worst nightmare, doesn't it?" Mismagius snickered, and Charizard fired a Hyper Beam at me.

*Meanwhile*

Blaziken stood over in a nervous sweat, Eric was snoozing, and the battle's not over. Something was wrong, Alakazam was trying to gaze into Eric's thoughts, but was having difficulty. The two other Trainers and the Typhlosion named Explotaro were confused as to why Eric's sleeping.

"You're best friends with Blaziken, and yet you forgot his Primary weakness." Mismagius mocked. "Pathetic… Night Shade!" A crimson-lavender blended black beam bolted out and wrapped around Blaziken-Unison at the Mismagius's. Eric moved little, but it caused him to experience pain as he did.

"Damn him…!" Blaziken cursed

"What's dat Night Ssade do?" Riolu asked.

"Night Shade is an attack intended to use an opponent's strength against him. The more tense your body is, the worse the pain gets, and it only gets worse if you're built on strength." Blaziken explained, frustrated. "But with Eric sleeping, the rest of his body will wear itself down responding to pain. If he doesn't wake up, his body will tear itself apart without his say-so."

"Eric, Wake up!"" Marshtomp cried.

Riolu gulped. "What should he do?"

"He needs to relax, wait until the enemy can't use Night Shade." Blaziken breathed deep. "ERIC, WAKE UP!" he yelled.

"Ah, No!" all eyes turned to a shocked Alakazam. "He's not just sleeping, he's locked in a nightmare! His old powerless human self against you, me, and Charizard. But what I don't understand is… he's constantly trying to reach your nightmare self."

"Damn… so he can't hear me from here." Blaziken swore.

"Hmm…" Blaziken recognized the tone Alakazam expressed.

"You got something?"

"What did that ghost say about communication?" Alakazam asked.

"Only with the leader. What, you think I can reach him?" Blaziken's aggravation grew. "He's asleep, and I don't have your Telepathy!"

"Not yet…" Alakazam noted "Close your eyes."

"Nnngh!" Blaziken-Unison groaned, his body began moving more actively, the Night Shade inflicting more damage.

"No!" Blaziken shouted. "Eric!"

"Close your eyes!" Alakazam repeated himself.

Blaziken glanced at Alakazam, whose eyes were closed, and followed suit. Immediately, his perspective changed into Eric's. He was running from the seemingly brainwashed forms of himself, Alakazam and Charizard. Alakazam fired off another Psybeam at him, and Charizard shot off Fire Blast. Both missed, but were getting closer to their marker.

"_Eric! Stand your ground, we can beat them!"_ Blaziken called through the dream world.

Eric heard him, but his thoughts were wild with protest. "Stop trying to kill me, then!"

Blaziken's nightmare self charged with a sweeping kick, then a second one before handstanding to kick five more times. The last kick struck Eric, knocking him into the invisible wall at the arena's edge

"_Eric Claid! Are you seriously going to tell me that you can't use all those self-defense moves and avoid getting killed!"_ Blaziken demanded, his aggravation growing into anger. _"As your best friend, I KNOW you can fight back. Now STAND YOUR GROOUUNND!"_

Another swift kick sent Eric flying into the opposite side of the arena, hitting the wall, and landing in a sitting position. The nightmare Pokémon began to regroup and ready themselves for a final assault. Eric stood up, the insecurity in his mind was easily apparent. He restrained his urge to run, however, and gulped.

Eric took a deep breath before opening his mouth. "Alright. I'm confident that I can handle you alone, but I'll need help if I want to take on all three at once…"

"'_A friend in need is a friend indeed.'" _Blaziken's aggravation softened, as he discovers that this is true teamwork. _"What's the problem?"_

"Guide me, man." Eric said with sincerity. "While I can get you out of this, it's because I've known you and your ability in battle. I'm still new to this, having this the other way around, and as a best friend, I'll trust your judgment. I can't see a solution by myself, and normally I would hesitate the say this, but…" The Pokémon in the nightmare began to charge at Eric. In the real world, Blaziken didn't hear the sound of Night Shade being sustained. Eric closed his eyes, knowing this moment as the "moment of truth". "Blaziken, guide me through this. Help me find the way to win, please."

Blaziken began to feel Eric's feelings a little more clearly. He felt this moment as a sense of irony how he's looking up to his Pokémon, much like the Teacher of a class would look up to his students. Eric felt his friend's confidence helping his own, and he wondered why this shared feeling felt familiar.

Eric's perspective vanished, but Blaziken still felt his thoughts. At the same time, Eric's Unison body began to move, and he got up to his feet.

"What?" Mismagius's expression shot sour. "You, kid, sure have a knack for catching your opponents off guard."

Eric's thoughts indicated that he was still locked in the nightmare, but the Blaziken that he was facing had vanished as he regained his Unison ability in the dream world. Blaziken-Unison in the real world, however, seemed to have been standing in the same stance as Blaziken himself was.

"Heh, very nice trick. Being able to stand up like that." Mismagius regained his confidence. "But I don't think you can still hope on beating me!" A black and indigo orb appeared in front of him, growing larger.

"Get ready…" Blaziken said, and the Unison stood ready. Eric himself stood ready to fight the nightmare.

"Graahhh! Shadow Ball!" Mismagius said, firing shooting out the attack.

"Dodge." Blaziken said in a normal pitch, and the Unison sidestepped the attack.

"Yah, yah, yah, yah, Hyyah!" Mismagius began shooting multiple Shadow Ball Attacks, and almost effortlessly, Blaziken Unison avoided them with nothing more than small movements.

"Yeah, Awesome!" Marshtomp cheered. "YOU GO, ERIC!"

"I don't think Eric's completely controlling that body." Alakazam observed. "He's still locked in that nightmare… I think Blaziken himself is controlling the Unison…"

"Fire Punch, Blaze Kick, and Close Combat… Let's GO!" Blaziken commanded intensely. Blaziken-Unison. With his entire Body lit in a fierce blaze and a sharp battle cry, charged the target under the leader's now-mental guidance. Alakazam returned into Eric's mind, and he found it difficult to maintain pace right away. When he caught up to Eric's pace, nightmare Alakazam caught him with Psychic, only for Eric to fire off a short Flamethrower fireball. He landed, released from Psychic, and pushed forward with his legs, avoiding a Hyper Beam from Nightmare Charizard, and clutched Alakazam with a fire-engulfed hand and threw him at Charizard. The target stopped, inches away from collision, and received a direct hit from another fireball.

Eric pushed his legs off instantly into a leap, and pushed off again upon landing on the wall. Charizard turned, recovered from Hyper Beam only to find a fiery red bullet aimed at his head, opened his mouth as if to swallow him. Moving his leg to kick the jaw aside, Eric whirled past Charizard, and at Alakazam. At the very instant, he saw Alakazam's face turn from smug, to shocked… to his body being briefly replaced by Mismagius. Eric landed, striking nothing, and jumped forward reflexively.

_Was that…?_ Eric thought before landing on the wall. _Yes, he caused this nightmare! So if I knock him out here…_

He leapt upwards still. _Maybe he won't be able to keep this up in my head. Gotta try it, I have to give Blaziken some support!_

Alakazam in the real world marveled Eric's ability to fight like that: sharing his unorthodox intellect with Blaziken, while acquiring Blaziken's battle reflexes and trained agility. _Is this really what Ho-oh's seen in him? Is this really the potential he can gain in the long run?_ He noticed Riolu gazing in his mind, but he let it go. _Eric was right about these kind of battles. "It's awesome to watch in a movie, but indescribably stunning to see it really happen."_

Blaziken-Unison's fiery punches were getting closer to striking the target. Mismagius floated past, and while he found two Blaze Kicks whirling his way, he passed through unscathed through the unheated knee areas. Mismagius fired off Psybeam broadly, knocking his challenger backwards, but Blaziken-Unison rolled backwards to his feet.

"GO DOWN, BOY!" Mismagius shrieked, charging his next attack as his target shoots toward him. "Shadow Ba—Agh-!"

Eric destroyed the nightmare opponents, shattering Mismagius's concentration. Blaziken-Unison's Fire Punch struck its mark, the fire damaging Mismagius, but the attack passing through the target's ghostly body. Breaking into the floor with the same fist, Blaziken-Unison flung his momentum around in a circle, striking through the target with two Blaze Kicks. He swapped hands, whirled another pair if kicks, and spin flipped into a standing position with a Flamethrower already about to fire.

As time felt slower to him, Mismagius stared onward as he saw his challenger's brightly shining yellow eyes. The mind that seemed to occupy them, however, seemed to be both the boy's and his Blaziken's.

_How!_ Mismagius thought madly. _How is this possible, to have the boy's mind fighting my nightmare, and his body still move here?_ Blaziken-Unison 's body glowed as the Flamethrower he shot became supercharged.

The fire approached rapidly, scorching the very space it occupied. Mismagius's thoughts became wild with confused madness. _How… how… HOOOOWWWWWWW!_

The Flamethrower engulfed its target and continued on as if it hadn't even hit a thing. Three seconds later, Blaziken-Unison ceased fire, and Mismagius, incinerated to a blackened crisp… began to disappear.

*ERIC*

The feeling began to fade away, and my body, as well as my previously enhanced senses, returned to normal. My arms, legs, and gut went numb… my lungs burned, and my vision was very cloudy. I stepped back before falling on my butt, suddenly trying to grasp the reality of what I just did.

"_Now you know…"_ The Apparition reappeared, but instead of my normal form, it seemed to have taken that of a small Blazik-. No wait… my vision cleared up more, and it was my body, in Blaziken PokéForm, and… with yellow eyes, it seems.

I wanted to ask "Know what," but I couldn't get enough air to speak. My mind asked it instead.

"_Do you remember that sensation where you and your Pokémon felt synchronized with each other? Where the primary proof of it was a shared thought process and glowing yellow eyes?"_ his appearance faded back to its previous one. _"When you, a Unison Trainer, and your partner Pokémon form a strong enough bond between each other, both of you can reach a synchronized state where both of your strengths are shared between each other and both of your bodies can be commanded by either one or both of you, the differing results being seen as you fought. The only weaknesses you will have in this state are either those that you both share individually, or the result of your bond weakening. The latter, of course, will cause this state to not only be tougher to reach, but tougher to maintain should it already be reached."_

The Burning in my lungs started easing up, but my body was still too sore to move.

"_Your companionship with Blaziken since you set out has made you friends close enough to call brothers. It's only natural that your first sync be with him. However, be warned. While your bodies synchronize, the full effects of it are temporary. Which means that the next time you fight, you would be wise to have trained yourself, Eric Claid, to handle this same stress on your own. Should you push yourself while synchronized, your normal body will not handle the stress, and you might not survive the backlash."_

I felt something sprinkle down around me. I couldn't stop from breathing it in, and it hurt to cough. For some reason, though, after the first couple times, it actually felt like it was helping. My lungs quickly stopped burning, my body wasn't sore anymore, and I felt my stamina slowly coming back.

I got to my feet, stretching my recovered self, and I held out a cupped hand. "This is… ash… I was healed by ashes."

"_That must have been the Sacred Ash…. Legends say that it's created by the very ashes of Ho-oh's feathers. It's healing ability is phenomenal."_

_Sacred Ash, huh?_ I thought. "Well, I guess that takes care of the first test…"

The Apparition smirked, and made a small snicker. _"Actually, this was the second test you've taken. So far."_

I found myself caught off balance with that reply. "Uh… Y-you're joking, right?"

"_As thankful as you'll find this, I'm not joking."_ The Apparition must have a sense of humor apparently, because the dumbfounded look I gave him was amusing to him. _"While unexpected, when that young Trainer a couple days back attempted to relinquish your status, the first test was used to provide the means of proving who was more worthy of Ho-oh's power. As the result of claiming victory in that challenge and retaining your pendant proof, you passed Ho-oh's first test. Now that you've claimed victory in this test, you now only have one more test to take before Ho-oh has decided if you're worthy or not."_

I closed my eyes and felt that rushing sensation of being teleported, and opened my eyes to being back at the straightaway bridge. It felt like I was there for about a couple of hours straight, and the Apparition was no longer in front of me.

I looked at my hand, thinking of how this hand had done a lot so quickly… how I could…

"C'mon, Eric." Blaziken said, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Let's move on, 'show them what we can do,' right?"

"Yeah…" I responded, solemnly. At least I've learned something… Now I'm confident about this whole thing. As long as we trust each other, we can show Ho-oh and the world that we can be the greatest if we can work together. It's just like in the movies, "United We Stand, Divided We Fall!"

Confidence renewed and my body revived like a phoenix, I walked to the ladder and continued towards the top of the Bell Tower.


	42. Chapter 41: Guilty

Chapter 41: Guilty

The maze of ladders finally seemed to have come to an end, but as I reached the top of the maze, I gazed upon a familiar sight. Gold and Explotaro sighed, Riolu yawned, and Marshtomp and Blaziken groaned as they stretched their limbs. Morty walked up next to me, and the concerned expression on his face piqued my curiousity.

"What's up?" I asked casually. "Something wrong?"

Morty didn't move even his eyes when he responded. "I've still been wondering where I saw your face before, and when I look here, I remember now."

"Huh?"

"A while back, about a month or so, the twelve brass bells in this tower began to ring. An event like that typically signals a sign from Ho-oh." He explained, looking at a large jingle bell of sorts (weird). " Eusine stopped by at the time, and we both climbed up here to investigate. When we arrived, even the four crystal bells were ringing, and you seemed to appear as an illusion."

I thought about it for a second, and I couldn't make heads or tails of it at all. _I seemed to appear as an illusion? What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

"Nevermind me, I'm just thinking out loud." Morty said dismissively. I didn't leave the thought alone, though. In fact, I took another look at the bell, and now I realize it does look familiar, it was one of those strange dreams I remember having, running up a few flights of stairs, with bells ringing as if it was a voice… but I never gave it much thought.

I glanced at Morty, who was talking to Gold about something. _He said that when these brass bells ring, it brings a sign of Ho-oh's return… and I'm pretty sure I heard bells in that weird dream._

*Te-ting*

I heard something ring, a bluish colored bell flashed in my mind, and it seemed to have added a missing detail. At the top, there were four of those bells, and those were ringing, too. Odds are, I'd likely find out sooner than later what those are for, but still… what do they-

*Te-ting, Te-ting*

"There it was again…" I thought aloud.

"There what was?" Blaziken asked, and without responding or thinking, I broke into a run. "Wha-! Hey, Eric!"

It was exactly like the dream, I ran up the stairs, the bells suddenly ringing madly. Instead of a high pitched screech of the bells, it felt more like a musical chorus telling me to keep moving up.

I reached the top of the stairs faster than last time, and the last bit of the tower going up was climbable, except it was primarily for decoration. Morty, Gold, Explotaro, and my Pokémon arrived shortly, and Riolu grew awestruck at looking down from up here.

"_**Amazing view to stand over… isn't it…?"**_

My pendant emanated the same warm feeling I sensed, and I looked forward, then all above me. Nobody was in sight…

*Ting, ting, ting, ting*

The sound of four higher pitched bells started to ring, but for some reason, it felt like it would only faintly reach up here. I looked at the city below, and I found that the people in it were beginning to gather. I squinted to focus in at the crowd, and among them, I was able to spot Cassidy and Butch… it seemed Butch was either holding the laptop's screen at me, or some kind of camcorder, but I could only tell by a small glare from the sunlight behind me. I looked forward, and I saw a rippling fire that seemed to sparkle.

**_"It's rather amusing how I seemed to have gained a few of your personal traits…" _**the Voice said. _**"It seems I've gained your slight problem of being a bit late…"**_

I knew who it was, with no hesitation, though I agreed that it was… interesting to say the least.

"I assume you yourself will give me this final 'test' of sorts?" I asked.

**"_Yes, however, you seem to have heeded my warning."_ **Ho-oh said. **_"I can see the indecision in your thoughts, so I'll help you find your personal resolve by looking back at your history… in front of your friends."_**

I looked back. Morty was gravely serious, staring at the Sacred Fire with excitement running through his mind. Gold, however, stared at me, thoughts seriously wondering if what a man and woman said about me was true… at that instant, I began to hear Cassidy's voice talking to someone (If I know her, Giovanni is on the other line…), summarizing what's going on. I stared at the fire, and it grew brighter.

*BEEP BEE-*

My PDA went off, but I pulled it out in a flash. I checked the mail, and it was Kevin.

**OMG, dude!**

**You have no idea how freaked we are, Daniel surprised everyone by breaking into the boss man's video phone and broadcasting it on the TV! Everyone at Club is watching, and Darkness can't stop staring. We've kept it quiet enough from everyone else so not to cause a riot, but… This is so COOL! I wish my penpal rarehunterlucas could see this!**

**This final test, though… We'll be wishing you luck, so speak honestly for us. Sam and her brother Daniel are going to be praying for ya, as I am (which is new to me, I'm not the type to do so, lol).**

**So…Good Luck, Phoenix**

**Kevin.**

I stared at the note, and the regret about my past history welled up sadly inside. I looked up, and felt like the majority of the eyes looking up felt devilish and expectant. However, I felt innocent eyes also staring up in wonder, as if the adults expected a model citizen or something, while children wondered what kind of person I really was.

The warmth spiked into a hot blaze, and I looked above and saw an avian figure approaching. The orange, yellow, and green feathers of Ho-oh's wings reflected that of many colors in the sun, and after two circles around the tower, he finally landed in front of me… no, in front _us_, with the intent to truly gauge our worth.

"_**It's been a long time since I've ever stopped to land…"**_ Ho-oh's Voice echoed in the air. _**"But I would not be here if the one that represents me most should not be here as well."**_

I stared silently as Cassidy summarized the events, as well as making random speculations, of which I hardly cared to listen to.

"_**Eric Claid… While those of Ecruteak can hear my voice, no form of machinery will pick up this message. I chose this final test to give these people the realization that what they expect you to be is not what I see that represents my beliefs."**_

I felt nervous as hell, I hoped that something like this would be private… but with these residents Ecruteak watching me, I couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking collectively.

"_**Now, while I've watched you for some time, I believe it would be best if I learned a bit more about you. What you hear will also be heard by others… and they will all hear what you have to say. Speak truthfully, because like it or not, they will see you as someone important, maybe someone to even follow. So it's best to simply speak your mind."**_

My heart was pounding… I waited for the first question, but worried what it was going to refer to…

"_**First Question…"**_ This is it… here it comes…! _**"How are you feeling right now…?"**_

I was thrown off balance from the question. But I looked at the crowd with my eyes, and then back at the Phoenix Pokémon. "Nervous, for one t-thing, I'm rather protective about my personal information because I don't want to look bad despite my unfortunate background… though I was caught by surprise by the question."

"_**If you were chosen to support either your own humankind, or Pokémon, which would you support more…?**_

"Neither, I would prefer to not take prejudice among species." I said, feeling a fair bit solid minded.

"_**Then why are you in this 'Team Rocket', a crooked organization that steals Pokémon for their own gain?"**_

That question hit a very sensitive nerve. I overheard the crowd gasp as they heard the reality. Cassidy revealed this to the camera, stumbling surprised in her voice. I played the question over again in my head, and tried to really answer honestly why I'm still with them. Just thinking about this, with the boss of that very group watching… it made me nearly speechless

"I…"

"_You want to defeat this Trainer who cheated you…" the man said. "I'm confident that we at Team Rocket can help you give this Trainer payback…"_

"_You never answered my question last time we met, Mr. Gym Leader." I retorted. "I've dealt with a big 'Team' before, and they were pretty rotten… what does this 'Team Rocket' do that will lead me to believe that your crew is no different?"_

_The man made a slightly confident smile. "Because we have a dream… a dream to help the world be a better place."_

"_Help the world be a better place…?" I asked skeptically. "how so?"_

"_I'm sure you've experienced what happened in your match, and that has to feel crushing." He reiterated. "however, you're not the only one who's had this happen, and I'm sure some of our members can help you overcome these instances should it happen."_

"_hmm…" I gave it a little thought, if what he said really is true, then what's the harm? It might be just a simple battle club or maybe an honest community made to help people around here… only one way to find out, I suppose._

"_alright, you've got my attention." I told him. "I'll still be a bit critical, but sure, I'll join your little group…"_

"_I'm sure you'll learn a great deal." He said, casual confidence glowing in his eyes. "However we're not as 'little' as you think._

"I… never really thought about it until now…" I said. "thinking about it now, though… I initially wanted to redeem myself from my loss in that one league match, though. I know that much for sure…"

"_**I remember that day, two years ago."**_ Ho-oh said. _**"You battled fairly different from most trainers… primarily using Fire type Pokémon, you had a talent for managing the flames your Pokémon used effectively in a large area, much like one would when he's preparing a meal."**_

I found myself rather intrigued with the comparison. I suppose he also acquired my tactic in explanation… though it's kinda odd for a humble method to appear on one of high status.

"_**Now, you specialize in Psychic and Fighting types, while maintaining your skill with Fire. Your battle style, from what I've seen, reflects that you've grown well in a rough state of placement. You've grown highly deceptive not only to your peers, but to your targets as well. You battle with the ability to work around an opponent's defense with any means available, and strike hard with little to no mercy should you be serious. Even to the point where you've absently thought of lethal methods that you know will work."**_

It turned out that I was quickly figuring out what this question in particular meant, though it doesn't exactly make me feel any better… I hoped on finding something at least a LITTLE positive, but because of how serious this is, I might as well cement this glum look on my face… lame.

"_**Silvershade is right about one thing, you do have potential, but you can grow to be able to fight him on nearly equal ground. In the meantime, it would be best if you tried to improve yourself as well as your team of comrades."**_

Well… that's no surprise. I thought, glancing at the crowd. I could barely handle his cronies when I'm by myself, let alone Silvershade himself.

"_**Now, if you think you could prove your worth, are you able to face your darkest opponent?"**_ Ho-oh's voice began to sound like there were two voices in one body. I glanced back, and by this time, I started trying to figure out what movie fit this the most… unfortunately, I didn't have one at the time. A brief gust of warm wind swept through me, and suddenly I felt like some weight had been lifted, and now I felt empty. Instantly, I felt a sharp tip poking at the back of my neck as a heavy feeling welled up in my chest. I flinched for a second, then jumped forward in a spin to see my enemy.

It was Darkness Silvershade, no, wait… it can't be him, he looks identical to Silvershade, darker skin, black hair… except the Psychic blade is crimson red… and the eyes on a grim face are closed.

"Eric Claid…" the eyes opened, only to reveal that they were my own emerald green color. "This will be your final test… you've proven your loyalty to your friends, as well as the strength of your friendship with them, but there is one important thing you, and you alone, must come to terms with. Should you find it and pass this test, you've proven yourself worthy to attain the blessings of the Sacred Fire."

I grabbed Charizard's Pokéball and tossed it backwards, Charizard had plenty of energy on edge, but wound up angered when I signaled him to stand down. Alakazam explained what happened to him, and he mellowed down slightly, but was still steamed.

My shadow looked me eye-to-eye, and I felt like something was squeezing my chest from the inside, and the surrounding air felt foggy and everything around me darkened quite a bit. "Just remember, this test is not what you think it is." He said. "You'll need more than strength to pass. And whatever happens, only your friends will truly see it."

I stepped back, poised for a fight, unsure what he meant. _Perhaps he might mean wit_. I thought. _Strength alone can't win a fight without wit._ I breathed deep, trying to shake off the nervous feeling I'm getting, but with no success. My shadow suddenly disappeared, a point poked at the back of my throat, and panic spiked in my heart. I moved my head aside as the blood-colored Psycho Cut stabbed forward where its target was. The blade stopped, and swept toward my neck, moved forward to avoid the majority of the damage, and got away with only the tip cutting my ne—

"_Why…?"_

I stepped forward, my head suddenly feeling lightweight, and turned around only to find him, his cold and emotionless eyes staring through me, and his Psycho Cut blade coming down at me. In about a second's instant, I brought up my own Psychic force, and stopped it inches away from my face. I looked again at my shadow's face, and somehow I saw the face of a another boy, teary eyed and seemingly vengeful expression. I flinched and lost my handle on my defenses, My shadow's psychic blade slashing my right a—

"_No, please, give him back!"_

There it was again, except it was a different voice this time. My shadow Slashed four more times, each hit drawing blood before slamming me with a roundhouse kick.

*FLASH*

_*BWOOOMMSHHHH*_

_I grabbed the bag containing the Pokéballs and dashed for the escape vehicle as fast as I could, I reached the clearing only to hear footsteps to my right. The footsteps came from a kid almost my age, I looked away and narrowly avoided a tree branch to the throat, and was stopped by a snag in the bag.._

"_GIVE HIM BACK!" the boy shouted before tackling me. My hat was flown off in the struggle and I scrabbled to get Kadabra's Pokéball from my belt. After we stopped rolling, the kid looked at my face and tears formed on his horrified face. The look squeezed my chest with a loss of nerve…No, I can't let myself get distracted! I took the instant and called Kadabra._

"_Secure the Package!" I ordered him. And he departed right away_

"_You're…" the kid was nearly at a loss for words. "Y-you're just like me…"_

_I got up and didn't look him in the eyes. Instead I picked up my cap and placed it back on my head._

"_WHY?" he demanded. "WHY are you doing this!"_

_I was hesitant to answer, I just felt so guilty after looking into his face. Kadabra reappeared with the bag, and instead just grabbed it and began walking away._

"_HEY, I'M TALKING TO YOU!" the boy shrieked._

"_Light Screen, Kadabra…" I said, and within seconds, a clear wall appeared to stop the boy's approach._

"_PLEASE! GIVE HIM BACK!." He protested desperately, but I had my orders._

"_PLEEEEAAASSE!"_

*FLASH*

I got up from the floor, and my chest began to hurt. I remembered that day, it was the first time I realized how much I was hurting people, after about a year of getting away without much of an issue. I never got the boy's face out of my mind for almost a month, and was back to transferring Pokémon from the outside. After that mission, I confronted the admin in charge, and demanded answers. But he told me that while the kid didn't know it, his friend and the other Pokémon were asked to do a very important task, and that he'd be returned soon. I accepted that, and thought that was the end of it.

My left arm began feeling cold, and I found that it was bleeding from the elbow down. I looked forward, and my shadow walked slowly toward me, his blood-red Psycho Cut at the ready.

_Shit…_ I thought. _What the hell is he…? I gotta find a way to turn this around._

"You still don't get it… do you?" he charged and slashed again. I sidestepped away and attacked back with a backhand from behind. He tried to hit me with the Psychic blade, but I continued to evade it. I focused hard to gather my Psychic focus, ignoring the pain on my left arm, and with my opposite hand, blasted him with force. My shadow went flying, boosting my morale. I can beat him, even with his Hallucinations!

***BU-BUM…***

A Heartbeat boom sounded loudly, and the wind was knocked out of my chest. My heart began to hurt like hell and I fell to my knees.

"You don't know it, but your friend will help us out a great deal… I assure you, he'll be returned once he's finished."

I struggled for air as I heard another voice, only this time, it was my own that I was hearing. My shadow disappeared before he hit the ground. My back pricked where my heart was located, and I froze, my chest burning for air.

"They're not hallucinations, kid." He said, the tension starting to suffocate me. "You're forgetting what I told you."

Not hallucinations? I thought. Somehow my knocking him back caused me to get winded, but how…?

"Here's a hint…" tension ran through the psychic blade at my beating heart. Instinctively I wondered if I was going to be killed, and a sharp feeling of fear sparked, though it felt it came from someone else.

"Everything you've felt yourself…" My Shadow spoke, with the double voice I heard before. "all the feelings you've hidden… they should have been greater."

"W-Wha…?" the pain left, everything went mute except for two things, his voice… and with hanging suspense, my heartbeat.

"Your naiveté is the only thing that suppressed it." He continued "I told you before that should you not come to terms with yourself, all that hidden pain will come back all at once. Unlike before, however, you will not be the only one to feel it this time." And he stabbed me through the heart, someone seeming to scream from the distance as the rest of my world grew cold and sad..

*Meanwhile, Bell Tower roof.*

"EWIIIIC!" Riolu shrieked, fighting against Alakazam's Psychic restraint with everything he had. Charizard looked at Blaziken, whose expression was glazed over as he stared at Eric's body, being levitated as he was drawn under a death-like trance. Alakazam felt his emotions drop heavy at reading Eric's mind for the sake of Morty, Gold, and Explotaro. His mind was almost isolated from the rest of the world, but while he thought he was dying, it was all part of Ho-oh's revelation, whatever it may be. _Riolu must be scared to death for him._ Alakazam thought, feeling sorry for the child. _Ever since they met on the ferry, Eric's smile had given him a boost in confidence. I guess, Eric is as much a big brother figure as his real brother Lucario…_

Alakazam turned to Blaziken, and his eyes were still glazed over, they were expressing horror. And his mind was just as isolated as Eric's, like it seemed he is right there with… then it occurred to Alakazam: they were both Synchronized. Blaziken was literally seeing everything Eric is, and unlike the latter who was beaten and then psychically suspended, Blaziken was trembling. One thought was registered among the thousands of voices suddenly echoing a plea of some sort or another, it was when he told Champion Cynthia of Eric's life before the Rockets… and what he concluded with..

_No…_ He thought, his fear becoming reality. _He's past his breaking point,.. Eric… no…_

*Team Rocket HQ, Viridian City*

"Hey, Kevin…" Darkness urged. "It's not one of those mind-take-over things."

Everyone at the Club sat in front of the Television, connected up to a computer to broadcast the event, Domino also walked in to view the event, and Kevin and Sam just kept watching, their attention seemingly hypnotized. Darkness the Umbreon watched the program, but found his Trainer's expression unsettling, and tried to get his attention.

"Hey, Kevin!" Domino said, noticing Darkness's attempts at his attention. "You're being paged." Kevin did not respond. Domino stood in front of Kevin and crouched in front of him, her eyes level with his. She then found something strange with them, only just realizing something is wrong with them. "Hey! Snap out of it."

Everyone else turned to look at Sam and Kevin, who gasped simultaneously. A tear ran down Sam's cheek, and Kevin began stammering random noises. Syrus waved his hand in front of Sam's face twice, and snapped his fingers three times. Daniel rest his hand on his sister's shoulder, shook twice, and also gasped.

"Dan, you find something?" Syrus asked, a moment's silence, then he looked at Daniel. "Dan?"

Daniel's eyes glazed over, and he was put in the same trance. Unlike his sister, however, he seemed to be trying to say something.

"No way… I never knew…" Kevin said softly.

"Oh my god…" Sam moaned despairingly. "Eric."

Syrus and Domino looked at each other, confused. Daniel groaned, his expression expressing some kind of effort in his part.

"Sy…rus…" Daniel muttered with effort. Domino heard it first, grabbing Syrus's attention. "If… if you can… hear me… rest a h-hand… on my shoul…der…"

Syrus cocked an eyebrow in skepticism, he glanced at Domino, then back at Daniel before placing a hand on him, right away he began feeling something cold emanate from Daniel through his hand to the rest of him.. his expression changed from skeptical, to puzzled. The cold reached his head, and then… all at once, he began hearing voices, with only a few of them distinguishable among the many hundreds speaking at once.

"_Hah! You really think tha-…" "Sometimes, you gotta let go of some things to gain mo-…" "My best friend… gon-…" "she was my bestest friend… why did Team Ro-…" "NOO! IT'S NOT FAIR! THO-…" "Those Bastards! They went so far to lie to that kid ab-…" "He was no older than my son… why did he have to do something so mea-…"_

Syrus was dumbstruck, as a high ranked Rocket like Eric, he would have thought the kid was as indifferent about others as he was. But feeling this as if it he was Eric himself, he never imagined how much of his conscience he hid away… he still felt in control of his body, and while he knew Sam and Kevin were watching this wave of emotion, Domino was not… not yet.

"This is everything he's being forced to relive…" he said quietly. Domino, meanwhile, turned to hear him over the television. "Nearly two and a half years of hiding every sign of regret under the initial thought to grow as a Trainer, not really realizing how much he's grown into as much as a criminal as much." He smirked. "And I thought the Boss had personal secrets."

Domino rested a hand on Kevin's shoulder. Just as Syrus did previously, Domino began glimpsing into everything that Eric had kept hidden in those past years… Voices from thousands of the victims of Eric's crimes with tones ranging from denial, depression, horror, and even vows of revenge. A good number of them even discovered Eric's identity, which intensified their feelings. Throughout the occurrence, the air around him felt cold, like a hopeless chill someone receives when their life's goal suddenly becomes impossible to strive for, like their dream is crushed before their streaked down Eric's horrified expression, his own voice speaking out his very thoughts.

_H-h-h-how c-could I… I…b-be so…!_ His thoughts sobbed, the guilt overwhelming him.

"UNAWARE..?" A sinister voice boomed, the voices began to fade away, and as Eric floated motionlessly, another figure walked into view. Eric's face shifted to a fearful hate, but it was only when the face became distinguishable did Sam, Syrus, Kevin and Domino truly register it and the horror spiked among them as a result. The boy looked nearly identical to Eric, except he had red eyes, a shaded dark appearance, and an essence of fear about him.

*ERIC*

I couldn't do anything as of right now, my body's too cold to move, and instead of seeing my Shadow, with the frequent flashes of torturous memory in his eyes, I saw Silvershade.

"Ever considered using Shadow Pokémon?" he asked casually. "I'm sure even you couldn't say 'no' once you get enough of a taste."

Hate fueled my expression, but I couldn't seem to speak, let alone answer "hell no". Silvershade got the expression, though, and only just smirked.

"You know, I'm sure you've heard this before, much like many other typical 'bad guy lines'." He commented smugly. "But you heard all that pathetic noise, they're victims of your actions, so being a cold criminal is not much different from my cause."

_N-no!_ I thought. _I never considered the idea that I'd be hurting more than just a few trainers, but you… You never gave a damn, you fucked up the minds of others by using their fears against them!_

"Hm…?" he murmured. "Never considered?" he began to laugh… "oh, you considered the idea all right, but you were in a long state of denial, kid. You couldn't accept the idea that you just might be trying to grow stronger… at the expense of hundreds of Trainers' friends!"

I choked, stuck without anything else to say in my defense. As much as it hurt to think about it, he's right, I was in a state of denial all those two years… but, how can I possibly admit this to my frien—no, how can I admit this to my own damned self? Riolu's image faded into my mind. _He's such a good kid, and yet I'm just another… b-bad… person._ I thought. _It would not surprise me if he chose to leave my side. Even I would leave my side if I were to find out the truth._

"So you see, if you wanted, you could just trade it all away for something really fulfilling." He said. "too many lives are being saved, and all of you have grown too soft for each other." Silvershade walked behind my unmoving shadow. "Think about it, boy… and come find me when you made up your mind."

Silvershade faded away, his snickering eerily echoing in my mind. Images of my friends flashed before me, and I was losing grip on my optimism, with little to any hope of considering redemption. I felt childish, whining like some little kid who lost his favorite toy, it felt laughable for some reason. Not that I could help it, though… the truth hurts, and this truth about what I've done. Suddenly, I didn't feel like I wanted the Sacred Fire, I'm already tainted with some 'semblence of evil. Suddenly… I don't know anymore…

"_You're a hopeless piece of work, aren't you?"_

Time felt like it was slowed down. I was taken out of my trance at hearing a new voice, I tried to determine the source of it, but it wasn't anything I knew.

"_Hmhmhm, you really are quite a cute kid… just like my friend's boy." _The voice giggled. _"And not as dopey, thankfully."_

I anticipated some form of pity, and I was ready to reject it._ Is this some other memory I closed off…? _I thought.

"_Actually, I'm an older sibling to that little guy you met in Olivine."_ An image of the strange Pokémon appeared in my head, i-… he… looked a lot like Mew, except there was something about him that felt off. _"He does look a little young, doesn't he?"_

I thought about asking who or what this voice was, but what would it matter? _It has nothing to do with this…_ I thought. _What would happen? I get distracted and get another painful reminder…?_

"_I suppose you're hardly one to let the past go, are you…?"_ the Voice said, while somewhere in my mind, it feels like it belongs to either a female or a child. _"Though I suppose you've seen enough instances of the past repeating itself, huh?"_

What does that mean? I thought, and as soon as I asked, I found myself hanging at Club with everyone and enjoying the many action movies and occasional comedies that we liked the most when not battling, training, or whatever. Then, an image of a strange Pokémon appeared in front of me, it surprised me, suddenly being there, and I would have flinched were I not restrained. The Pokémon was a lot like the other guy, looking like but not being Mew. Instead, this one was female (I think), and her fur was white with two lavender-pink hearts, one on the chest area, and one underneath her right eye.

"You are a criminal, sure." She said. "But you truly understand what you have done can't be reversed or forgiven. However, that doesn't mean you're without hope of redemption.."

I looked at the Pokémon and the expression in her eyes was sincere, but guilt told me otherwise. _Really? But how could someone like me be possibly forgiven?_

"…ic… E…c…!" a voice began calling my name, but was too faint to distinguish…

"There's really only one person who can help determine that." The Pokémon said. "but this one person can't redeem only himself, because he's not the only one at fault.."

"..wic…Please don't…up."

_Riolu?_ I was hearing Riolu, but, I don't understand…

"Eric, If Riolu can reach you, so can the rest of us." Alakazam was speaking now, but confusion swept over me. I thought they could only watch…

"Listen, there's something you need to know, I wasn't comfortable with telling you because I knew you'd lose it, but…" images of some kind of factory flashed through my mind. Pokéballs were put on a conveyor, and as each one was put forth, a strange purple electricity struck it, and the green heart monitor on the right began turning red and was going haywire… the electricity stopped, and the monitor was still normal. The next Pokéball was put through the same process, except instead of turning to normal green, it turned grey and flat lined. The Pokéballs were picked up off the conveyor by two hands, the first one revealed a Granbull with black eyes that had no pupils, the hand put the other Pokéball on the ground, and with a wave, the unknown person commanded Granbull to stomp on the other Pokéball. It did so without any hesitation at all, crushing the Pokéball into pieces, and destroying whatever was inside…

The vision ended, and I never felt horror like this. I recognized what this was based on past research, this was how Shadow Pokémon were created. However, unlike this method, that was not always certain, and had to be redone sometimes, but it was painless. This one was more potent, seemingly guaranteed to create Shadow Pokémon, but it also placed a subject's life at risk. Apparently, only those that survived became Shadows.

"This was from Giovanni's mind when we went to see him that one time." Alakazam explained gravely. "Unfortunately, the beginning was too clouded to see, but what is certain is that someone told him that Shadow Pokémon can boost a Pokémon's power exponentially, and how to make them. Since then, he formed an isolated group from Team Rocket solely made to create troops from the stolen Pokémon. However, somewhere during that time, he was drawn with the prospect a little deeper, almost to the point of obsession, but decided to wait until the time was right to introduce them to Team Rocket."

_No…_ My thoughts went wild between guilt and a vengeful hate. _No… No, I couldn't have been… I can't believe this…!_

"Believe it or not, Eric, we were unknowingly stealing for a Shadow Pokémon army."


	43. Chapter 42: Final Determination

Chapter 42: Final determination

_A Shadow Pokémon… Army…?_ I've been used all this time to create the one things, the abominations I thought were gone. Cipher was a cruel organization in the Orre Region, and they deserved being shut down, for such cruelty. But since the XD001 incident, Shadow Pokémon were widely known as illegal. Now Team Rocket, the very people I worked with for two years, has been working on Shadow Pokémon behind my back? No… I won't forgive being lied to like this!

"My…" those bastards have crossed my morality line, and while I'll not undo what I've done before… "My name is Eric Claid. As of right now, I'm a former executive of Team Rocket." Team Rocket… Giovanni, I will show them all… I'll show them how big of a mistake they made… in LYING TO ME!

*Bell Tower: Roof*

Blaziken's fear for Eric rose; he's finally realized the whole reality. Alakazam looked on as Riolu fearfully grabbed hold of his arm. Gold hadn't seen something like this in awhile, and while he's well ready to help stop Eric from going berserk, Alakazam stopped him.

_You're not the one that he's angry at. _His Alakazam said telepathically. _Eric's now come to realize the reality of what he's done in his naiveté, and because he was initially conned into it by the illusion of growing stronger as a trainer._

Orange fire flowed out of Eric's body, covering him in an aura of heat energy. "I never considered the fact… that I've done more wrong than I thought." Eric's Shadow briefly expressed surprise before strengthening the Psychic hold. Eric's silent rage just kept growing, however, and his Pokéballs began to flare with light. The aura began to movie faster, Riolu sensing Eric's hate at the man who lied to him, Alakazam and Charizard watching silently until Blaziken began clutching his head, and restrained himself from crying out.

"Whoa! What's wrong with him?" Gold shouted, glancing at Blaziken. "Is something attacking him?"

Alakazam tried to read Eric's mind, but something was interfering. He turned to Blaziken's mind, and he was suffering from an indescribable migraine, and he's still synchronized with Eric as well.

_No, it's Eric's Psychic ability!_ Alakazam responded. _Because they're synchronized, their bodies are trying to do the same thing, but Blaziken's never used any extent of a Psychic ability. Eric's body is unknowingly forcing him to try. If this gets any worse, the damage will be permanent!_

"Tch, how the hell can we stop something like that?" Charizard grit his teeth, frustrated. "I seriously doubt just attacking him will wor-.

A hand flew out and chopped Blaziken in the temple, causing him to stagger forward. He slowly lifted his hand, panting, and looked at Riolu and those around him. His eyes returned from golden yellow to blue, signifying Alakazam and Charizard that he's no longer synched.

"What-?" he uttered, dazed. Alakazam looked, learning it was Morty who knocked Blaziken off synch. Morty didn't say a thing, but only nodded and watched on.

Alakazam looked at Blaziken, then at the frightened Riolu, and rest his hand on the child's shoulder. Riolu looked Alakazam in the eye, fear filled his expression.

"So…" Riolu felt comforted being supported by his friends. "Why is Eric all scawy like tis?"

"Because…" Alakazam remembered to phrase simpler for the child to understand. "Someone had caused Eric to do bad things for a lie. He was told he was doing a good deed for the future, and it would someday become known..." The Sacred Fire finally stopped raging, and instead settled into a steady aura brimming with emotional pain and vengeful rage, his mind flashing through his two years in Team Rocket in minutes. "It's only until a few minutes ago did he realize that what he's done was a lot worse than he initially thought. Also, he's also been used in the possible remaking of Shadow Pokémon, Pokémon put through a very painful mind control, and that most attempts to make Shadow Pokémon… result either in success, or death." The Psychic hold on Eric had faded; his Shadow stepped back, and stood ready to fight again. Eric's clenched fist straightened out into an orange-colored Psycho Cut blade, with the orange-colored aura rippling through it. Alakazam peered inside Eric's thoughts, but his vision had turned a reddish hue, his thoughts overwhelmed by rage.

_He's not himself…_ Alakazam observed. _Ho-oh… is this what you expected him to do?_

Eric's rage peaked, and he immediately sprung forward, Psycho Cut blade in hand. Alakazam focused and managed to keep up with Eric for everyone else to watch.

"GraaaAAAHHHRRR!" Eric roared, slamming his psychic blade down, then stepped right in a spin. Only to strike again.. The Shadow was on the defensive, blocking attack after attack at close range, after about the sixth block, he disappeared. He struck, but Eric suddenly blocked it, and pushed him away. Eric stood for a few seconds, his mind still needing to vent his rage.

_I WILL NOT accept being lied to!_ His thoughts were raving. _I've hurt so many, all for a LIE! NO, never again! NEVER AGAIN!_

"YAAAAHHHH!" Eric charged forward, slashing the Psychic blade wildly, the shadow barely dodging the attacks. The attacks began slowing down, Eric began tiring out, and the Shadow leapt back, stopped, and began to disappear.

"NO! THIS ISN'T OVER YET!" he screamed, tears flowing down his face. The shadow of himself faded away. "NO! IT AIN'T…it a-ain't…"

"_**I've decided that it's over."**_ Ho-oh declared, his shadow reappearing next to him, speaking for him. _**"My intention of this test was to help you truly come to terms with yourself, as well as reveal what I wanted to show you."**_

Eric fell on all fours, too tired to vent what painful rage he had left.

"_**Your personality proves you're of an empathetic innocent type… frequently in people of your age or younger." **_He explained. _**"Unlike this majority, though, you're also highly talented in some vital skills that others will treasure. Understanding others feelings with your training in what you call "psychology", coupled with your unorthodox battle tactics will make you tough to defeat. But what you are vulnerable in, is when you hold your true feelings back."**_

*ERIC*

"True feelings… what I hold back?" I pondered. In the distance, I could hear Cassidy asking what was being said, but I put little thought in it.

"_**Two years you've done wrong, and while you've considered the fact that you're hurting so many, you hide those feelings. Not even trusting yourself to stand up and make up for that mistake."**_ The tears began to dry up _**"You were offered to make your comrades stronger, but you declined the needles and artificial items, and instead worked with weights and exercises."**_

_Hmph, those things…_ I remembered that, it was before I learned about the Machop and Machoke that visit the workout room daily. I was offered needles and all sorts of weird drugs, but they disgusted me.

"_**It was only after your attack that you saw everything in a new light. Particularly when the Pendant had marked you as a potential candidate to acquire this power."**_

_Marked me?_ I thought. When did the pendant…? He mentioned when I was attacked… hold on… _wait, I think I remember now. It was when I first started understanding everyone… I felt some strange sensation go through me, and the pendant was on at that point._ It's true that all this does lead up to this, but… it feels like it doesn't completely add up.

I looked Ho-oh in the eye, completely bypassing the Shadow that speaks for him. "So what does this all mean?"

While hard to see, I saw Ho-oh's beak curve slightly into a mild smile. The shadow, however, grinned big. _**"You've proven your strength in teamwork and trust with the first two tests."**_ He replied. _**"But your third test was, in a way… my means of enlightening you."**_

"Umm, so that means it was a test of my reasoning?"

"_**You could say something like that."**_ The shadow's grin grew slightly.

I didn't have much to say after that. I've finally accomplished what I've set out to do, but in doing so, I've learned a lot… some of it painful. I glanced into Ho-oh's eyes, just as they looked back into my being… I've finally earned the lifetime chance to meet him, but it's caused me to realize what I've done all this time. Now I have to wonder… do I really have much of a chance to change, to be able to redeem myself?

Something was tugging at my pants leg, I looked down and found Riolu's eyes looking up at me wordlessly. I smiled and hoisted him up on my shoulders, and as I felt his aura radiate, I could understand his wonder at Ho-oh up close. My pendant grew hot, but it felt like I was breathing in something full of life. A relaxing sensation, like I was becoming someone new… someone… better.

"_**Eric Claid, you are a very humble young man whose personality is strong, yet peaceful."**_ Ho-oh declared. _**"You cherish Pokémon more than like your best friends, but as if they were of your own blood. Your ability to adapt is exceptional, willing to use whatever is available to claim victory in a lawless fight. But most importantly, you've this much closer to be ready for a task given to you from one of a power greater than I."**_

"Wait a minute!" I protested. "A task? What kind of task?"

"_**What kind of task… I have been informed not to tell you now."**_ He told me. Much to my annoyance. _**"However… the reason is not to maintain your drive for knowledge of it. But because while you've just gained this gift, its power reflects greatly upon yourself."**_

"Reflects upon myself…" I muttered, then I began considering how the pendant seemed to have on occasional will off its own. "Am I to assume… that it takes on more than my growth in strength?"

"_**Once again, your perception remains sharp, a good sign of wisdom."**_ Ho-oh commented. _**"Yes, you're right, it takes on more than just your growth in strength. However, I'm sure you'll understand that it's best you learn what this detail is yourself."**_

I looked up at Riolu, and while I have an idea what this detail is, I'm guessing it also must take some time to develop. _That has to be it._ I thought. _Whatever this task is, I'm apparently not yet ready to handle it just yet._

The pendant began to pulse like a heartbeat, it felt like a kid who was looking at me, wondering what I would do. I closed my eyes and rest my right hand on the pendant, fire flowed through my being, a warmth as soothing as a lullaby… was this part of the Sacred Fire…? A flame grew in my left hand, until it was about the size of a large softball, I stared at it like I was in a trance. I looked at the crowd, and was surprised to see the majority of them on their knees, bowing to me like a deity. I glanced to my left, and Gold, Explotaro, Morty and Alakazam were bowing toward me, though Gold was looking toward me.

I knew, though, that I personally didn't feel comfortable with this sudden respect… I closed my eyes and tried to picture the faces of the people who were watching. Alakazam helped me with broadcasting my thoughts for a wide area, my hair signifying Alakazam Pokéform.

_Please, I understand your respect for Ho-oh, but I don't deserve this respect…_ I told them all telepathically. _I may have attained a great power because of who I truly am, but what I am right now is still a humble young man…_

I read Cassidy and Butch's minds, and their thoughts reflected that of pity toward me. Cassidy told Giovanni that the people were bowing, but nothing was being said, that I was staring out to the crowd. Giovanni ordered her to end the feed, which she did, and smiled at me. I smiled back, thankful of her consideration, and continued my so-called "speech."

_I may be a chosen one of a sacred deity of this world of Pokémon… but deep down, I'm still a young man who has yet to pay for the crimes that he has done out of his naiveté._ I glanced again at Gold, who seemed to understand what I meant_. I've stolen Pokémon, I've robbed many people, and I've damaged and even destroyed friendships all under the deceit, an illusion, a well made lie that I was doing a good deed for the world. I now have realized what my crimes are adding up to, and now I know what I've done. So before I deserve any respect, I will travel to redeem my actions of what I've done before. That way, I can have a reason to hold my head up high._ I sighed, and shook my head._ I would have been perfectly fine with saying this a little closer to you all, except…_

"Ewic…" Riolu uttered thoughtfully.

_Except that I've not yet come to terms with what I personally have going through my mind… I'll be sitting here for awhile, letting this whole reality sink in._ I reverted back to normal, and walked away from the crowd. I sat down on the opposite side of the tower and closed my eyes, doing exactly what I said I'd do. Sheesh, I can't believe I wound up suddenly making up some speech out of nowhere, this is quite a start…

"_**Your character says a lot about what makes you intriguing to many…"**_ Ho-oh mused. _**"there are so many humans in the world we all live in, and it's impossible to truly understand you all as a whole species… it's baffled many of the more intelligent Pokémon. So perhaps I should inquire from your own standpoint. What is it that makes you humans so different from one another?"**_

I opened my eyes and thought about it for a minute… what does make people like me different from the millions of others that live in this world? It felt like a silly question, because…

"I couldn't tell you…" I replied. "Because even we don't know what makes us different. Just like the question of how many varieties of Pokémon there is are one of this world's mysteries, even we human beings don't understand ourselves and why every one of us is unique in personality and specific details."

I looked at Ho-oh, and his orange-red gazed into mine… the pendant pulsed, and it felt like he was gazing at more than just my expression… he closed his eyes, and stared out into the horizon.

"_**Despite my knowing your trusting nature, I cannot help but exercise caution."**_ I glanced at Blaziken, smiled and nodded for him to come. Blaziken sat down to my right, Marshtomp directly in front, Charizard and Alakazam to my left. Riolu slid down from my shoulders onto my lap and yawned, my pendant gave off that familiar feeling… I was in good company, and there was nothing better than being together with those you cared for. I began feeling slightly drowsy, but I wanted to see Ho-oh's face once more before nodding off. I looked once again, and he turned his gaze once more, and it softened… if I could see what his expression was in a humanly manner, it felt like he was pleased to see me with my Pokémon friends.

"_**Such a soothing sight…"**_ he said. _**"A fine example of what I hope for humanity and Pokémon. May you and your friends grow strong to be the leading example I've seen in you."**_ He opened his wings, and I nodded off happily.

*Elsewhere*

Unbeknownst to Eric Claid, his progress through the Bell Tower of Ho-oh was watched by that of another character that wasn't from his group. The one who talked to him during the final stage of Ho-oh returned from her trip, and her younger sister was just beginning to lose her patience with waiting.

"_Well? How'd it go?"_ the younger sibling asked.

"_He passed the test of enlightenment, but only because of what I put into it."_ The elder one replied. _"The poor young man would not have understood what it all meant if I didn't help his friends reach him."_

"_You had to help him? Why, Love?"_

Love smiled, the younger sibling frowned because she was tired of that "mother's smile" the humans say is so soothing between a child and their female parent, whom they call a "mother".

"_Karma…"_ Love said. _"This Claid boy, he's really a lot like him. Young, kind, and willing to pull his weight should he be told to…"_ Karma sighed, looking at a girl walking into a Pokémon Gym. She thought of the boy that the girl has sent away, then of the boy who her younger brother slept in.

"_Will this Claid really be the one?"_ Karma asked. _"I dunno, what's he like?"_

Love sighed, somewhat dreamily. _"Well, he's a very kind young man, just like I said before… but at the same time, he's not dopey like the other boy, he's sharp-witted. He's a fairly strong fighter, and he's quite the improvisional Battler."_

"_Improvisional? What's that?"_ Karma inquired

"_It's when you make do with what you have should a situation goes sour."_ Love explained. _"For instance, during the second round of his second Test, he was in a position where none of his Unison attacks, being Psychic type, had any effect on his enemy, which was a Dark type. So instead, he used a plank of wood sticking out from a crater made in the previous round and was able to successfully fight back and win."_

Karma stared at Love, skeptical of her explanation. _"Hmmm… is he REALLY that kind of Trainer? I mean, Look at her."_ She nodded toward the girl beginning her challenge of the Gym, her eyes expressed ambitious confidence of a high regard, Karma still thought of the boy she sent away and felt sorry for how the she treated a friend like him. _"she's so into this challenge that she hurt a childhood friend… but if this Claid kid is really like that, then… I don't get it… these humans are so strange."_

Love giggled. _"Admittedly, they sure can be… but perhaps you should go out to meet this Claid boy yourself."_ Love closed her eyes, and the image of a young man with five different Pokémon, all sleeping peacefully together, appeared before Karma. Karma gasped slowly.

"_Awwww, that looks so heartwarming."_ Karma cooed. _"And you're right, he doesn't look as dopey as Little Brother, or that boy he's stuck with. So that's the one who passed Ho-oh's test?"_

"_Yes, perhaps you ought to meet him yourself."_ Love suggested. _"Just remember, don't give out Little Brother's name, and if he figures it out, make sure he remains quiet about it."_

Karma scoffed at her elder sister. "_Figure it out? Hah, I doubt that! See you soon!"_ and with that said, she spirited away to meet this Claid kid.

*ERIC*

I woke up with a bit of a smile on my face, I looked around, and Ho-oh wasn't there. Riolu was still fast asleep on my lap, and Marshtomp on my front. I lifted Riolu and lay him next to Blaziken, then I lifted Marshtomp, got up, and placed him where I was. I walked to the opposite side of the Tower roof and gazed out to the sky. The sun was beginning to set, and nighttime was apparently coming close. I wondered how long I was asleep. I looked at the stairs, and found nothing but a note with something else taped to the top of the stairway's railing. I went over and took it, returned to where I was, and read the note.

**Eric Claid,**

**Nothing has ever brought me any more happiness than to have met the legendary Ho-oh face to face. I is said that meeting Ho-oh like this is said to give a person happiness for the rest of their life, I hope this includes all those at Ecruteak that watched. I never thought that you were a member of Team Rocket, though, and I couldn't help feeling sorry for you at your being deceived so horribly. I was able to take a photograph of you resting alongside your Pokémon, I kept a copy of it for the citizens to look at, the boy whose Sacred Fire shall grow strong someday. I'm sure you'd like to keep one as a memento of your journey here. I hope to see you before you leave to return home.**

**Morty.**

I looked at the Photograph and my smile grew. It showed a picture of us all sleeping together. He's right, I would like to keep this to remember my time here.

_So, you passed your test, hmm?_

I jolted on the spot and looked around briefly before recognizing telepathy. I closed my eyes for a second, and managed a psychic connection.

_Who's there?_ I asked

The voice giggled playfully, I recognized that sense and thought of that one odd Pokémon. I never did get to know her name, but I knew for sure that whoever this was felt related to her… like yet another younger sibling.

_So you're this Claid kid I hear about._ The voice said. _You're right in thinking of me as one of "those siblings"._

Too many questions suddenly popped into my mind, but I used logic to figure out the majority of them. How does this voice know my name? It's because the other sibling told it. How does it know what I'm thinking? Because it's psychic, which also explains telepathy. Now that I think about it… what's the deal with these siblings? Dunno… time to find out!

_Alright, so obviously, I won't bother with how you know my name… but I'm assuming you're another of those "siblings". Right? _I said.

_Yep, I'm the last to meet you._ The voice replied cheerfully. _The third sibling to meet you, the middle sister!_

_Third?_ Three siblings… wait a minute…! _Does this mean that the one I met in Olivine, the one who talked to me during Ho-oh's third test… and you… Are you one of those "three seers" Suicune told me about the day before?_

The Seer felt like it was trembling with excitement, and giggling like mad. _Yeah, that's me! I guess Love was right about you being sharp witted!_

_Love…?_ The name ran through my mind for a second, and I remembered the bright lavender-pink hearts on the second one. _Is that the name of the second one, your sister?_

_Maaaaybe._ The Seer teased.

My patience wore thin. _Are you going to give me a straight answer?_

The Seer burst out laughing for a few seconds, wearing at my patience that much more. She calmed down mostly, and was still giggling when she said. _Now where's the fun in just telling youuu? I can't just tell you what you want, you're a smart guy, you figure it out!_

A vein began to throb in my forehead. "This Seer is beginning to sound like bad karma…" I grumbled to myself.

_Well, that's quite the coincidence you have there. My name is Karma._ The Seer said, introducing herself in a mocking tone. _Nice… to meet-cha._

My aggravation grew, and I began to grind my teeth together.

_Heeheehee, it isn't healthy to do that, you could lose your teeth._

"Shaddup…" I muttered. _You apparently take a lot of entertainment, Little Giggles…_

_Ahem, __**Karma**__…_ she corrected. _And if you knew what my situation was, you'd feel the same way._

I rolled my eyes and sighed… apparently, whatever this situation was decided to make it tricky to get what answers I want. I focused a little mental energy to block the mind reading, thought for a second, and decided to make her slip up. I pinched my chin in a thinking gesture, mentally thumbing through my Psychology courses in all those books. _Alright, based on what's been said already, she's still not used to my personality… in fact, she seems to be used to someone… what did Love say I wasn't… oh, right: "Dopey"._ I closed my eyes. Focusing a little tougher to keep my thoughts free from probing.

_Hey, whatcha thinking about?_ Karma whined.

I paused for a second, and smirked. "Try to read my mind, and find out. Heh heh heh."

_Fine!_ Karma said smugly. _I'll take ya no problem!_

I focused my mind again, thinking of a tongue-twisting riddle on the outside. Heh, figures, she's got too much pride in feeling smarter. Maybe I can find out the last one's name.

I read Karma's mind through the telepathic connection, the first thing I felt through her mind was frustration. I restrained myself from snickering at it, and released the barrier.

_Alright… so I think I know two out of three…_ I said. _But what about that one I met in Olivine…_

_Huh?_ The frustration vanished almost instantly. _Could it be who I think you mean? Describe him._

I felt a little leery of this offer… _I dunno, is the world gonna __**end**__ if you told me?_

_Hah, right, that's a good one._ Karma jeered humorously. _But really, you think you know what I mean, describe him. Go on._

This is it, THIS is the attitude I expect! _Well, he's a lot like the Pokémon Mew, except he's blue furred, and I think a little younger looking. I kept asking him what he was, but he told me he couldn't say. I asked him why, and the little brat told me it would "end the world"._ Now to see if I can get a clue on him… _I thought over what his name ought to be, and for some reason, I kept getting words that related to the word "happy"… Bliss, giddy… hmm…_

I paused, if what I assume is right, I should get a name because of the feeling of knowing more than me.

_Ah, you must be talking about Jo—_she cut herself off for a second, and the feeling of realization swept through her, she was onto me! _–o-oker, duh-uh, J-Joker, yeah!_ It wasn't a very good lie to come up with on the spot, and if I recall correctly, there was only two words synonymous with "Happy" and start with a "J-O", and "Jolly" doesn't sound close to her "Joker" cover-up.

_Joy!_ I declared. _The little brother of yours is named __**Joy**__!_

Shock ran through the Seer's mind and down my spine as a result. _ACK, Dammit, should have seen-, ah shit!_

Hmph, that got 'er. _Hah, what's wrong? There something with saying __**"JOYYY"**__?_

_Don't say that again! _Karma's voice was panicked. _I have a reason for not telling you that! If anyone knew I let it slip, then I'd be what you humans say as "toast"._

_You'd get in trouble over a name?_ That made no real sense… though I guess it made more sense than what Joy himself told me. I sighed again… listening to Karma panicking, and I figured since I won't get any more info about it I'll just calm her down. _Well, if it'll help, I'll keep quiet about it…_

_Huh?_ Karma's mind was apparently still swirling with panic.

I smiled as the last of Ecruteak's night lamps were lit. _I said: if it'll help, I'll keep quiet about it._

_Y-yeah, please…_ the panic began to fade quickly, and in its place, confusion. _But… I don't understand, why are you giving up on the topic? I've seen humans do whatever they could to get what they wanted… why aren't you…?_

_**There are so many humans in the world we all live in, and it's impossible to truly understand you all as a whole species…**_ Ho-oh's voice echoed in my memory, and it finally clicked… this is what he meant.

_Karma… despite what you've seen in people, not every human being is the same._ I told her. _Just like people will do what they can to get what they want right away, there are others willing to wait for an appropriate time. Not every human person is the same, or "Cut from the same cloth" as some would say. While there are people who are willing to change who they are, and yet, there are also those who feel they're justified in what they do and refuse to change. It's purely dependant on how they act when you get to know them. For instance, I used to be a criminal, someone who stole from others, and hurt friendships by separating Pokémon from their Trainers. However, when you get to know me, I don't like what I was doing, but at one point, I thought I was aiming for a better good in a long run., but as I found out a few moments ago, that's not the case. Now I have decided to do what I feel ought to help redeem myself._

_Huh…_ Karma took a moment to take this in, repeating a couple lines I said. _Human people… not the same… some are willing to change…_

I glanced back, Riolu stirred where he was, whereas Alakazam opened his eyes and stared at me. While Karma was thinking, I let Alakazam join this "mental phone call" of sorts, and summarized everything that happened to him.

_Hmm, perhaps you could help me with someth—_her thoughts suddenly realized Alakazam's presence. _Ah, so you woke up?_

_Eric's told me about the Younger Brother that he met._ Alakazam responded. _I heard about you three once, but I dismissed it as just a child's story. It's an honor to meet you, Karma._

_Honor?_ I said, confused. _Perhaps I need to get a better idea of who you are, you sound about as playful as Mew… it's kind of hard to recognize someone as dignified when they're just so childish most of the time.._

_Hmph._ Karma snorted. _On the contrary, what does that make you and your little whining during that test? Rather pathetic, if that be the case_

_Low blow, you little-… _Just as a vein began to throb on my forehead, I felt the presence of another's thoughts. It was that of a girl whose confidence was brimming, nearly overflowing. Her thoughts were very cloudy, so I couldn't get a name from them, but I did feel certain that I'd recognize this confidence. It was the confidence of someone challenging a Pokémon Gym, with a winning streak. I would recognize it because I've felt that before, because I was able to beat all eight Kanto Gyms in one fell swoop, but it cost me when I lost in the Pokémon League when I didn't learn about handling loss with a straight face.

_Hm…? This attitude feels familiar…_ I mused. I looked at Alakazam, who was levitating to meet me eye level, and his solemn gaze said everything. He recognized it as well.

_You say that you humans can have the capacity to change who they are, right?_ Karma asked. I nodded, and she paused. _Well, this girl that I'm with, her attitude has grown bad. She made a big mistake, getting angry at her friend and sending him away, and I fear it's only going to get worse… can you help me show her what she's doing wrong…?_

I held my chin with my finger and thumb in a thinking gesture. _Hmph, well gee, I wish I knew HOW to help, but will I have to put up with any of that obnoxious attitude from you? I'm not some stooge that you can just insult and then ask help from…_

_Please?_ She pled. _I heard from Love that you're a really nice person, and very smart. If you really are that kind of person, then can you please help me make her understand?_

I focused again at the stray thoughts, just as the thoughts began feeling slightly suspicious of something, I began to see that as Karma said, this girl seemed to have sent a friend away, seeming for his wanting to take a break before going to the Gym. Unfortunately, the girl seemed to think he was holding her back, and based on my skill in psychology, she's fairly spoiled and frequently self-centered. She stepped on some switch, but I couldn't make out what it did. The thoughts had that fierce determination about it, however, it was set on one thing at this moment: winning.

_Hmm…_ I observed. _This is quite a sensitive determination she has…_

_Huh? What do you mean?_ Karma asked.

_I mean she refuses to accept the possibility of losing, and if this confidence gets any worse, it'll mean trouble when she actually does lose._

Karma was silent, practically flowing with thoughts of worry for this girl.

_Someone has got to show her that losing is a natural thing._ I explained. _However, judging from her standpoint, apparently she's skilled enough to give many trainers a run for their money. On the other hand, if she begins to start boasting about her team and skill, she will make many enemies quickly, and one of them might even be smart enough to make her regret it for the rest of her life. I assume this is who you want me to help?_

_Yeah…_ she said.

_Her attitude is heavily based on how she's lived. I have had a similar experience before… and now you know how badly I fell when it comes back to haunt me… if she is to understand this without her going too far off the deep end, she needs to lose__** now**__. The girl won't be happy, and she'll likely lose her temper, but at least at this point, she'll have some hope of recovering from this early stage of that attitude._

_So you'll help me?_ Karma asked.

I looked at Alakazam, he smiled and closed his eyes, at this point, he understands me enough to know that nothing with me is free. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. He said, quoting another movie.

_What?_ Karma inquired

_Never mind. That…_ I piped in. _I'll help you, however I have two conditions._

_Name 'em._

_One: I figured for good measure, you aught to spectate what I plan to do because of my great change of character. I warn you now, though, I was lied to, so what I plan to do will NOT be pretty. _I stated gravely.

_Okay… and your second request?_

_I will one day ask that we meet face to face. You, Love, and Joy. _Her voice winced at my saying that last name._ Should we finally meet in person, you will recognize me because the strength of my Sacred Fire will have grown alongside me._

_Alright… so those are the conditions?_ Karma mulled it over for a second. _I might not be available at ANY time, but I'll see about when I can watch, do you mind if she…?_

_If she watches, I won't care._ I snorted bitterly. _Even if Joy were to watch this, I wouldn't give a damn, just let me know when is a good time, and I'll set everything up in advance… I'm well able to find the contacts I need to get what I want done. I'm also going to have to ask how I'm going to help out with this character problem, wherever that girl is, definitely doesn't seem to be of this region, or Kanto or Hoenn..._

_Don't worry about that, you'll find out soon enough._ Karma said. _Thanks Claid._

_Please… Call me Eric._ I sighed.

Karma giggled, the girls thoughts were finally facing off against the Gym Leader, whoever it is. Be warned, you'll have to come up with a backup plan should she happen to claim victory on this Gym battle. There is always the possibility of it happening.

_Alright._ Karma acknowledged _I have to go, but I promise I'll let you know, Eric. Bye bye._

"Heh." I smiled. _"It's not goodbye, it's 'See You Later'."_

Karma laughed for a second or two, and dismissed it joyfully. The thoughts of the girl and hers began to fade, and I stood there, quietly, my own thoughts flowing around all sorts of things. The most prominent thought was to wonder what I should do after what I plan to do as proof of my painful change of heart. If what Ho-oh said is true, perhaps I should travel to get stronger… though perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stop by home… I haven't been there in two years, and I've been so preoccupied I never even wrote my folks.

"I wonder if the restaurant is doing okay…" I muttered to myself. "It's been two years, almost three, and I haven't come to return home for a visit. Perhaps once we're done with what I've planned to do, perhaps I should come home and see my folks again…"

"Hmm…" I glanced at Alakazam briefly, and he was smiling. "Last year, when you shared your memories with me, I was surprised at how you were raised… because most of Team Rocket was made up of delinquents and troublemakers, you were raised with other Pokémon and a happy family, I would like to actually meet your folks, perhaps I could share stories of our adventures with the Pokémon staff."

"What's this about stories?" I joked. "How old are ya really?"

"You really want to know how much older than you I really am?" he was serious about it, but I just snickered and said "Nah, I'm just playing."

We got quiet, and I began feeling a little drowsy. Then I remembered that I woke up at dusk, and that it's still nighttime. I looked back at everyone else, I found Riolu waking up sleepily., and I smiled at how I'm still cautious of his opinion.

"Riolu demonstrated a heightened sense of psychic ability." I said. "He seems to also have quite some skill with that move Copycat. At some point, I'll plan on developing a training schedule that will be done in two separate points. But while I'm training alongside Blaziken and Charizard, could you help Riolu and Marshtomp with theirs?"

"Sure." Alakazam replied "however, that means that once you gain the means of using PokéUnison with them consistently, you'll have to take some time to go over the same things."

"I'll start with the basics first. Get the hang of fighting as Blaziken unison, and then I'll—"

"I don't think you're taking me serious, Eric." He interrupted. "If you really want to be able to defend yourself, you'll have to understand more than how Blaziken fights. You'll have to be able to fight as well as the rest of us. And if you really hope to following through with your plan, then you'll need to do it as soon as possible."

I shut up for a moment, thought about it and sighed. Despite how much it frustrated me, he's right. If I stuck to Blaziken Unison, then once someone figured me out, then I'm dead meat. The best way to get an upper hand is to be able to fight like everyone… but I still have no idea how to do quite a lot of what my Pokémon partners can do. I don't know how to fly as Charizard, how to really use moves like Blaziken's Flamethrower or Marshtomp's Hydro Pump outside of instinct, or even how this whole PokéUnison works completely. I mean, sure, I can temporarily transform into Blaziken, Marshtomp, and Alakazam's previous form Kadabra… but that's about all I know, off the top of my head.

"You forget that you can now understand us." Alakazam commented, reading my thoughts. "Also, you also haven't noticed that so far, the only PokéUnison you've pulled off on were with each of us, your friends..."

_Hmm… that's a good point…_ I thought. _Whenever I've done PokéUnison, it's been with those I'm close friends with, maybe there's some kind of criteria with it._

I pulled Riolu's Pokéball from my belt and stared at it. I looked back, Riolu himself was in a glassy-eyed trance, the sleep seeming to overtake him. He snapped awake, and instead raised his arms in some kind of meditation.

*Bu-bump*

A heartbeat sounded in my mind, but unlike before, it wasn't anything painful. Instead, I felt what seemed to be a wave of feeling, and it almost felt like my own... about as soon as I felt it, suddenly something began to overshadow my vision. I closed my eyes and a picture of an old man appeared in front of me. He still had a full head of hair, although aged grey color, antique round spectacles, and was dressed like that of a common villager, simple beige colored clothes with worn leather gentleman's slippers.

"_To you who has earned this young one's trust."_ The old man said. _"I'm sure this may come as unfamiliar to you, but should you hear my message, then you and the young one have something in common, a similar aura."_

"Similar…Aura….?" I muttered to myself. "This is pretty out of place, what's this all about."

"_Among our people, when human children come of age and when Riolu are born, Masters of Aura determine who has the best match for each other through similar auras."_ He said. _"However, when fate intervenes in the auras of certain individuals, it is declared as legendary for one to have Aura that is similar to a great deity. However, it's also said that it's only in prophecies do a human and Riolu have Aura similar to a legendary Pokémon. Should you have this aura, your given abilities that you alone can bear. This young one bears an aura similar to the sacred fire, and as such, means that you are able to control aura with much more control once mastered. I'm certain that should you gain mastery of your aura, you'll gain strength even of that of the Deity's true strength. I wish you good fortune, wielder of the Sacred fire_

The Vision ended, and Riolu fell only to be caught by Alakazam's telekinesis. I knelt down and lifted up the youngster and gazed concerned at the innocent little face. _Gain mastery of this special aura, and possibly gain Ho-oh's strength…? What the hell does that mean? I guess I'll add that to a list of things to learn._ I closed my eyes and relaxed and I felt a strange wind that seemed to give some kind of buzz._ Aura… life energy that can be controlled… hmm._

I opened my eyes and felt worried about Riolu. I doubt if he'll appreciate how I'm feeling about what I plan to do to Team Rocket, but perhaps when I grow stronger, I can tie up loose ends, and make sure none of my friends get hurt in whatever is going to happen to me. One thing's for sure, though; if I really DO plan to follow this up, it'll be a hell of a good feeling to gain a good start on my, dare I say it, "path of redemption."


	44. Chapter 43: Outside Counseling

**Author's note: This chapter is a build up to a collaboration crossover meeting between Eric Claid's story and that of one other. This is to refer to how fellow author and IRL friend SynctrainerLucas and I determined that our two fanfiction stories will cross paths and eventually merge later on in both timelines. This may be the first of many collaboration chapters, so be sure to read his more light-hearted story to avoid confusion in regards to these characters**

Chapter 43: Outside Counseling

"Both at the same time, yeah, you're getting it." Charizard coached. I kept trying, still making an effort to focus. I managed to get the hovering down fairly quickly in the four hours I've been practicing with Charizard, but whenever I tried to move from that spot, I went too far and fell over.

"Now, for the unteenth time, Eric, slightly shift your weight."

I began to tilt to the left side, and very quickly began going that same direction. Out of reflex, I began to tilt quickly the other way, but I caught myself this time and tried to recenter myself. I tilted my weight back to the middle, and managed to hover without crashing.

"Alright, now land… _easily_." He directed. I slowed the pace that I was flapping my wings, and I floated down to the ground, reverting back. "Okay. You'll still need work on control as slower speeds, once you can handle that without crashing, then we'll think about how you can keep up with me."

I sighed, my back aching from apparently being used for the wings, I reached for my toes to try and stretch them. "I suppose I'm making progress, I wish I was able to handle this a little faster, though…"

"How do you think I felt flying for the first time?" Charizard interrogated. "I knew about how others like me can't wait to be able to fly. Me, I was hesitant."

"Hesitant? _You_?" I snickered.

He leered at me. "You weren't there for my first flight, and for the most part, after I lifted off I was just as nervous as you are now… the only difference was that I felt like I knew this from the day I was born…"

I frowned. "It started with natural instinct, didn't it."

"You act like you're not listening to it, his body knew how to fly long before he did." Blaziken piped in "if you really did become like him, then that body you take on should know too…"

"I guess… but instinct can only go so far…"

Charizard closed his eyes and snorted.

I thought of the giant sweatdrop instances on TV. "I'll assume that's where I start training… by utilizing that instinct from memory… and improving it."

"Mhmm…" Charizard nodded.

I broke into a nervous sweat. "fudgenuggets, that's gonna take awhile…"

I fell down on my butt and rummaged through the bag of groceries I bought earlier, when Charizard and Blaziken looked at what I pulled out, rainbow colored and fruit flavored licorice, Charizard wasn't happy… Blaziken rolled his eyes and looked the other way.

"Are you seriously going back to those things?" Charizard complained. "They're a waste of money, and they don't fill you up very much."

I pulled out a banana flavored yellow straw and bit off a piece. "You kidding?" I replied. "I love these things! I haven't had these since last year when someone put food coloring on that disgusting black licorice. Completely made me cautious to bring my favorite snack to Club ever since."

Charizard snickered. "That was hilarious, I can't forget how pissed you were when you found they were all replaced, we aughta do that again."

I glared at him, holding the bag protectively. Charizard winced for a second, sniffed a couple of times and I teleported away from the black spot where he sneezed, a blank poker face on my mug.

"you intentionally try to light me on fire by sneezing on me…_why_?"

I didn't expect any response, and I was right. I turned over to see Riolu sparring against an illusionary double of himself, conjured up by Alakazam. The illusion was keeping the kid at bay, but Riolu still kept trying, and I smiled at his determination. I got up, inspired to keep trying just like he is.

"Alright, let's see if I can start flying with some skill!" I clutched Charizard's Pokéball and began to focus on Charizard's image, but suddenly I felt someone trying to link telepathy with me, like a phone was ringing in my head.

_Eric!_ The Voice said. I recognized it as Karma. _Alright, you wanted to show me a battle you plan on starting, right? Well, I also plan to show you a fight as well._

Well, that's rather out of the blue, and besides, I'm still training… _Does it have something to do with what I saw last time? Y'know, that Gym Challenge._

_You know about that, huh?_ Karma inquired rhetorically. _Yeah, it's that Gym Challenge. I would like it if you came to watch it, maybe spot what she might be doing wrong while battling._

I frowned. In summary, what Karma wants is for me to either play referee or play advisor for this girl. But more importantly, I'm still not sure how I'm even supposed to get there in the first place. I can understand looking there, maybe talking via telepathy, but actually BEING there for a little while… I'm sure there's some kind of catch.

_So how does this work?_ I asked rolling around Charizard's Pokéball in my hand.

"Hey, Eric, get a move on, you want to learn how to fly good or not?" Charizard called.

_Eric, are you paying attenti—_Alakazam said, except he noticed what I was doing. "He's making a collect call."

"_Huh?_" everyone said, at different times.

Karma started laughing, I narrowed my eyes, disgusted. "For a Pokémon with a very wise mind, that was a bad pun… I think you might be getting that from me."

"perhaps I am…" he shrugged. "just don't instantly assume you're getting any smarter because of me…"

"Not…cool." A vein throbbed on the back of my head… Karma's thoughts began to worry about the time and sounded all fidgety.

_So, are you gonna come or not?_ She asked, I just facepalmed at the lack of awareness on Karma's part, and replied. _If I knew how the hell this worked, sure…_

_It's easy, your mind is just going in a replicated body of yourself being projected at our location._ She replied casually. _The whole thing is not perfect, so I dunno what the end result is aside from you being in a copied body._

_You say "copied body", but I don't quite grasp it._ I said, concerned. _So what, is it like in this one movie where the mind goes somewhere, but the real body can feel what the mind does_?

Karma paused in confusion, I shook it off, and figured she must not have seen _"The Matrix."_ Forget it, I'll just try not to do anything stupid over there..

_Okay… now close your eyes and feel yourself in spirit._ Imagine yourself walking away from your body. Karma closed her eyes, and I felt uncomfortable. Despite it, though I closed my eyes, but unlike what she said, I envisioned myself suddenly flying away like I saw elsewhere. Then for some strange reason, I just felt numb and the last thing I saw was my body crumpling to the ground before blacking out.

*Ecruteak City outskirts*

Karma took the unconscious mind of Eric Claid and within seconds, a cloned body, completely made of energy had formed. But as she stayed behind as the young man's mind was asleep, she took the shock of his Pokémon, wildly confused about their Trainer passing out, as extremely amusing. His Alakazam, meanwhile, seemed to be the only one who was aware of what happened, and using his psychic ability, turned his gaze toward a sleeping Eric Claid and Karma's cackling form.

"I can see why he doesn't seem to respect you." Alakazam said vocally, grabbing the attention of the young Riolu. Using his sense of aura, he tried to get see what his friend was seeing, but unlike Alakazam, he could only see a blurred form of Eric and Karma.

Karma kept laughing, though it mellowed down to a long giggle. Alakazam stared on in a disappointed frown. "You choose not to give him very much warning just to cause mischief upon others, completely disregarding what they might think or feel. All this for an excuse which you'll not go into detail for? For one of high position, I expected better." He sighed as Marshtomp asked who he was talking to, the psychic Pokémon ignored him. "Karma, you better take care of him while he's helping you, or we'll have a very serious problem, you hear me?"

Karma decided not to really answer the question directly, and instead said: _If you want to know what he's doing, go ahead and try to read his body's thoughts._ With that said, she flew off to her destination, the bright orb that was Eric's mind and Substitute body flying close behind.

*Faraway Region*

First thing I felt was a thick humidity in the air, the second thing I felt was an unusual cold accompanying it. I got to my feet and took a look around me, and apparently Karma seemed to have taken me to a small marshland town, the Pokémon Center wasn't too hard to spot, but what seemed to have caught my attention was the funny looking billboard. A good look around it turned out to be one of those silly little things where your face stands in for a Pokémon's face for some entertaining photographs and cosplay..

"Hm, ain't that cute…" I commented with a smile. I looked around and found the place admittedly a little quiet. Reminded me of Pallet Town in regards to how little crowded it was. Though at the same time, though, it felt a lot like that one place with the Safari Zone… Fuchsia City, I believe it was called…

"Damn her… DAMN THAT BITCH!" a voice screamed. I glanced around, searching for the source, and there sat a blonde-headed boy of about fourteen or fifteen sobbing near a lake.. curiosity caught hold, even though it shouldn't be any of my business. I took a look at his posture, he seemed to be half way into the fetal position, with only the left leg and arm tucked in. it suggested to me that this boy must have been hurt by something personal, but prefers not to openly show it. Based on the comment, it seems to imply that this guy was hurt emotionally by a girl, particularly one he was very close with. Could it be a girlfriend, or a childhood friend? I wouldn't know unless he brought some sign of his history.

"Whoa, you okay, dude?" I asked. The boy looked at me from the corner of his eye and shrugged me off. _None of your business_, just as I figured.

I decided to sit down next to to him, I pulled out Riolu's Pokéball and tossed it up. I expected the ball to open and bring him out to see what I was seeing, what happened was the ball landing with a soft thud. I paused, completely numbed about what happened, and then I picked it up and pushed the button. It opened, but nothing came out. I glanced at the boy, but he wasn't paying attention

_Empty?_ I thought in confusion. _Since when was Riolu's Ball empty?_

I got up and thought back on when I was training with Charizard, then it occurred to me: perhaps Riolu was still outside of his Pokéball when I got here… I pulled out Marshtomp's Pokéball and smiled. But Marshtomp was snoozing while everyone else was training, and he wasn't necessarily bringing much good morale to my mood then, so I recalled him. I shifted the Ball in my hand. I pushed the button, it grew bigger, and when I pushed it again… and my smiled began trembling from stupefied hysteria.

It…it was…EMPTY!

I stared at the empty Pokéball that was SUPPOSED to have Marshtomp in it… all while the phrase "DOES NOT COMPUTE" repeats itself over and over in my head for a good minute. _YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! How is it I have my Pokéballs on my person, but NONE OF MY POKÉMON WITH ME?_

I closed the Pokéball and my eyes, and took silent breaths to avoid the kid finding out about it. I retuned the Pokéball back to my belt as I pictured another of those large sweatdrops on the back of my head. _Now what, If Trushades attack, how can I possibly defend myse-…?_

_No, wait…_ I stopped myself and shook my head, remembering I'm no longer defenseless. I closed my eyes, lifted my right palm, and focused. Telekinetic energy flowed into a pulsing presence in my open hand, and the feeling felt rather refreshing. _I still have my acquired ability of PokéUnison, I should take every encounter as a means of pushing my limits and growing stronger!_

"That stupid league ain't going anywhere… what does she have to prove trying to beat them as fast as possible…?"

I turned and remembered about the troubled boy. The look on his face was barely looking at me, merely from the side of his eye. Based on the look, though, he was seeing if I was still paying attention to him… and apparently, at least to him, I was not.

"As fast as possible?" I inquired, partly quoting what he just said "what do you mean? And who's 'she'?"

He took another look at me, the expression showed that of defeat, like he just given up on something. I tried to look into his mind, but for some reason, I couldn't seem to. Based on his posture, however, he might possibly be figuring he'll have to put up with me since I'm likely not going to leave. The scowl that he was trying to maintain and softened into a depressed pout.

"Oh, it's this girl I was friends with. I was kinda sad about something and wanted and do something of my own with her and she just gave me shit 'cus I was 'slowing her down'…" he complained. "she's been calling me names and making me feel stupid, and then there's that BOYFRIEND of hers!"

"Girls can get pretty emotional, can't they?" I said, smiling. "they're annoying to deal with once they get worked up."

"Yeah, but ever since her boyfriend got that… that…" he was growing frustrated as he was trying to find what he wanted to say. "ah, that thing where he turned into a Pokémon!"

"Pokémon Unison?" the boyfriend became a Unison Trainer, huh? I noted that for later.

"Yeah, that!" he continued "Ever since he got that Unison thing, Platinum's not being cool with me. She doesn't feel like battling me, she doesn't really pay attention to me much, she just sees me as some annoyance."

"Wow, that's harsh…" I empathized. "and you say she was your friend?"

"Yeah, we used to play around at Lake Verity all the time and….play all sorts of games together, then she met that Lucas guy, and everything changed…"

Relationships… I've learned that they can really change a person. I wouldn't know personally, because I have yet to find a girl that felt right to me… but I've seen what it can do to some people. Sometimes it's just introducing a new friend into the circle, other times, it's a sudden rival for attention… it varies from person to person, but it's definitely a sure thing that a relation can change people.

"perhaps it's her dream and her relationship…" I suggested. The boy looked at me, puzzled. "did she always dream of conquering the Pokémon league?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't even know anymore…"

He began getting a little choked up, but fought hard to restrain it. I guess this guy's got a sense of pride about him… I couldn't help wondering who the girl was. He said she was taking a Gym challenge, though, but then that just begs to question quite a coincidence. Is this girl the same one Karma told me to meet?

"Well, perhaps you don't have to cheer her on, but perhaps I would want to see what kind of person this girl is in battle." I said. "you feel like watching the Gym challenge?"

"but that will just make me feel worse!" he protested. "That bitch is taking on the challenge, how can I feel better watching her?"

"because it'll help you think of how you want to speak your voice should you confront her."

"Huh?" he didn't understand.

"Listen, sometimes what can eat at you after having a falling out with someone is how you realize there's something you wish you said. Then perhaps if you had said that instead, then the whole mess would have been different."

He looked down in thought, so I guess I hit the mark… I think.

"Perhaps the best way to try to fix things is to talk to the person directly…" the boy grimaced… so I went with plan B. "however, the second best idea is to leave a message, tell them something that tells them how you feel, without being there. The thing to note is that it has to have something that both of you are familiar with, like a place or a good time you both would remember."

The boy snorted. "You're beginning to sound like my mom."

I smiled for a little bit. Sounds like your average teenage rebel. "perhaps that's because your mom's got the right idea. Maybe she's been through the same thing before… and is able to patch things up."

The boy looked me in the eye, and I felt I could see some hope in that expression. I got up. "Well, I'm gonna find a means of spectating at the Gym." I offered a hand. "wanna join?"

He didn't say anything, but just took my hand and I helped him up. He directed me to the gym, but told me he preferred not to be inside, so I decided to jump up to a spot on a thick tree branch near the top window. I moved over for the kid and helped him up, but just as I was going to watch it, a bright yellow flash flared through the glass! The both of us flinched and I turned away, grabbing the boy's arm as he was tilting too far back.

The flash ended and I helped him regain his balance, a look through the window and found that the cause was the challenger's Pikachu zapping a Gyarados. The first round was already over, and the Gym Leader pulled out the Pokéball to recall the unconscious combatant. I focused on the Leader, an old man in excellent shape for his age, seemingly bald and wearing what seems to be a wrestler's mask and costume. He must be getting fired up in the match, because I could faintly see a smile across his face as he recalled Gyarados. He took his next Pokéball, spoke some words, and then sent out his next combatant: the Water Fish Pokémon Quagsire.

I glanced at the challenger next… She's appears to be a confident young girl with a white and bright pink beanie, a pink scarf; a short dress with a black top, that has pink at the bottom, and zigzags at the waist (weird looking dress…), and pink boots with tall black socks. I then glanced at the Pikachu, whose winded breathing shows it to have been knocked around a bit before defeating its first opponent. By the looks of things, this round might end quickly…

"What's going on?" the boy asked. "What was that flash?"

"The Challenger defeated Gyarados with an electric attack, but it's now a tired Pikachu versus Quagsire…" I said quickly, as the challenger shouted her command.

Pikachu dashed forward, jumping at a spin before Quagsire stepped away from a glowing white Iron Tail. The impact caused the large puddles of water to splash onto the challenger, raising her arms to block her face in reflex. Pikachu pushed toward Quagsire and tried again, the exhausted Pokémon still remaining an instant away from its opponent, who has yet to make a move. Pikachu tries a third time, and Quagsire hops aside twice this time, raises its arms and slams down on the ground. Pikachu and the Challenger stumble a bit before the ground suddenly bumps up from underneath them. The energy used in it struck from the targets' feet upward, and knock both the girl and her Pikachu into the pool that surrounded the arena. Judging from the mild shaking the boy and I felt a second later, I figured that must have been the move Earthquake.

The girl broke the surface first and looked around for a second before the Pikachu floated to the top, seemingly unable to move. The Challenger recalled her partner and swam back to her position in the arena. Words were exchanged, and the challenger seemed to have felt insulted by something. The Gym Leader said something, laughed, and spoke some more, wagging a finger like he was teaching some common sense to someone rude.

The Challenger grabbed her next Pokéball and stared at it for a second… she sent out the Pokémon… which is one I'm unfamiliar with. The Pokémon seemed to be a giant turtle or sorts, with a mostly mossy green shell with a little brown on it and outlined with a grey rim. The Pokémon also had a small tree on the left side of its shell and five large, grey spikes on its body: three on the right side of the shell, and two on its green-brown head, one on either side. Aside from that and its brown legs, the Pokémon looked like one hell of a tank, easily able to handle loads of punishment and still stomp through…

"I wonder who that Pokémon is…" I muttered.

"That's Mana, Lucas's Torterra." The boy said, overhearing me. I glanced in his direction, and he just stared past the window. "Why she is using _him_… Hmph. I'll bet she didn't catch a single Grass type in the Safari Game…"

"Hmm…" Well, that answers two questions on my mind. First, this Town has a Safari Zone… and second, that Pokémon is called "Torterra."

"Huh, an 'Earth Tortoise'…" I muttered. "Interesting…"

I returned my attention to the battle… and it seems that Mana the Torterra is refusing to battle, as it was turned away from his opponent. Quagsire, however, leapt into the pool and fired what seemed to be Water Pulse, a sound wave covered in water. Mana shook his head, shrugging off the attack, and turned to the pleading Challenger.

I glanced at the boy, the expression in his eyes seemed to be that of jealousy… he felt hurt his hands were tightening their grip on the branch he was sitting on, and the look of anger intensified.

"Err, You okay?" I inquired. The boy didn't respond right away, but after a moment, his expression softened to an envious leer, though he still remained transfixed past the window at the Gym Challenge.

"This morning, I was kinda jealous of Lucas for that ability to turn into a Pokémon. I still thought about it and wondered how I could do that." The boy said, his tone dropping to that of a hopeless confession. "I suppose I should have been moving a little faster, because Pearl suddenly slapped me and told me to move it."

_Pearl?_ I thought. _Is that the name of the challenger?_

"I caught up with the group, and was thinking out loud about how I could compete with Lucas's new trick." He continued. "Then Platinum turned to my face and screamed at me to shut up…"

I glanced again toward the female challenger, who was apparently talking with the Torterra. The boy mentioned three names: "Lucas", "Pearl", and "Platinum." With common sense eliminating the first name (a Girl named Lucas, I don't think so), one of those two other names has to be for this Challenger.

"they got to the door, and I was hurt at how Platinum was being so meant to me." Tears began to form on the boy's face, as he explained how she put on the last straw, and how she cause him to hit her a few times (which even I would rather say that striking more than once was a little too far). Meanwhile, the Challenger seemed to have come to an agreement with Mana, and this time when she commanded, a thick wave of what seem to be Razor Leaves overwhelmed Quagsire. The Water Fish Pokémon was down for the count, a few of the Razor Leaves stuck on its hide.

The girl jumped in excitement and turned toward something I couldn't quite see… and I glanced at the boy, who was wiping the tears from his face. I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. This boy was watching a Gym Battle involving a friend who had a major falling out with him and refused to apologize. That alone could make anyone mad about it. However, it's how he'll try to patch things up that will count in the end. I can't do it for him, but at the very least I can try to point him in the right direction.

I returned my attention to the battle, but then a thought occurred to me. Throughout the challenge, he was staring down at the fights almost as if he was waiting for something, could that mean he's expecting an outcome?

"Hey, just wondering…" I said, trying to tread ground at a personal question. "You think she ought to lose?"

"Huh?" the boy looked at me with an eyebrow cocked, puzzled…

"she hurt you, sure, but do you think she ought to lose?" I asked again. "Or do you think it'd be better if you talked to her in a good mood after she wins…?"

The boy stared some more, and I tried to summarize it as short and sweet as possible,,,

"Do you want her to win, or lose…?"

"Oooh." The light went on, and he glanced at the battle, but something caught his eye. "What the-!"

"Hmm?" I looked back at the battle, and apparently the next round had already begun. The challenger's Pokémon, a horse-like creature with a white, Mohawk-narrow, spiky mane. Its body was black with white stripes on the center, front, and in front of the hind legs of its body. The other Pokémon was nowhere on the battlefield, and it was then I spotted a small brown figure moving rapidly in the water.

"Isn't that…" the boy said, stunned. "How did she get one of THOSE?"

"one of what?" he must have been referring to that black and white colored Pokémon, but if he's surprised to see one, I'm betting it's very rare…

"That's a Blitzel." He said. "But I thought you could only find those in the Unova Region!" he raised his voice as he spoke, until he shouted: "HOW DID SHE GET ONE?"

I plugged my left ear with my finger, then popped it out as a sign of him being too loud. The challenger made her move, and a wide spread of electricity boomed out from this "Blitzel" Pokémon. The move Shock Wave found its way into the pool and in a brilliant Flash, the whole pool was electrocuted, along with whatever was in it. The brown figure that moved through the pool floated to the top, not moving. Judging from it not being human, that must have meant it was the third opponent. The girl jumped for joy and hugged the victor of the final round… the Gym Leader dropped his view down in a sigh, recalled his fallen combatant and walked casually toward the challenger with something in his right hand.

"It's over… the challenger won and earned her Gym Badge." I concluded, and slid off the branch onto the ground below. I looked up at the boy, who appeared to be upset again..

"Dude, Come on down." I said. "The battle's over."

He didn't say a word as he dropped down. When he got up, he still seemed to be thinking about something, his gaze wandering aimlessly and then lowering toward the ground. I observed the look of disappointment on his face, and wondered if this can answer the question I said a minute ago.

"You hoped that she would lose, didn't you?" I inquired.

"Huh?" he snapped out of his trance and looked at me.

"Right? You hoped that she would lose because perhaps what she did to you would bother her."

He looked down at the ground and nodded sadly. "I guess I don't matter that much to her anymore, do I…?"

"No." I said, trying to reassure him. "I think she was just wrapped up in her excitement, to really think about it. Give her time, it'll come to her…"

He shook his head. "Whatever… anyways, I'm gonna go off on my own for now." He said, a sudden determination in his eyes. "If Platinum can use a Blitzel in this region, maybe I can as well. Oh, and my name's not 'Dude', okay?" he leered at me, I flinched at the sudden changes of attitude. "The name's Tyson, remember it, why don't ya!"

Tyson, so that's his name… It hit me that I realized I spend all this time and didn't even go through introductions. Perhaps it might be a good thing because I just decided it'd be better if I didn't give him my real name… I'd rather my recent reputation with Ho-oh didn't spread further than it needs to be.

"I'll remember it, Tyson." I said with a nod. "And you can call me Phoenix."

"What do you mean I 'can call you Phoenix'?" Tyson narrowed his eyes skeptically. "You afraid to tell me your real name of something?"

Well, there's no fooling him… "Ehh, kinda, yeah…" I said with a nervous laugh. "My real name's grown rather… infamous. So I'd rather nobody hears my name or that I'm really here… Incognito, y'know?"

"Whatever… Well, I'm gonna get going." He said, saying "See ya!" as he dashed away.

I stood there for a minute, now thinking about the challenger… he mentioned that "Platinum" had that Blitzel. Out of the three names of "Lucas," "Pearl," and "Platinum," I concluded that apparently the Challenger, that girl with the strange dress that won a gym badge, must be named "Platinum."

I walked to the front of the Gym, leaned on the wall next to the door, and reminded myself of why I'm here in the first place. Karma told me that a girl she's with was taking on a Gym challenge, but hurt her childhood friend in the process and grew worried about her as a result. I happened to have met Tyson crying about his best friend Platinum shunning him for her boyfriend and her ambition to conquer the Pokémon Gym. I believe that it's safe to say Platinum was the girl in question… I could easily tell from her attitude in battle she wanted things to go the way she wanted and either pitched a fit or pled when things didn't go that way.

Karma had a decent reason to be concerned. It's bad when you get arrogant and cocky, but it's worse when you get so wrapped up in something that it hurts someone in the process. Seeing my changed of heart when I met Ho-oh, she figured I could help Platinum realize what she's doing without thinking.

I guess I'll have to first get an idea of what kind of attitude she'll have, though… arrogance and cockiness can come from a variety of people, but to better address such problems, I'd need to understand what kind of person he or she is based on their posture and the way they talk, among many other things.

The only way to figure out that kind of information, though… is to meet said person…

"Well, Karma…" I thought aloud. "How's about we get this meeting underway, then…?"


	45. Chapter 44: Reality Check

Chapter 44: Reality Check

The Door opened to find that the girl, Platinum, was walking out. She seemed to walk in a bit of a strut, not surprising for someone in a very good mood… unfortunately, not too much could be seen based on a step in a good mood… I would have done a better job if she was more of a neutral mood.

"Alright, I finally got my latest badge." She said, rather matter-of-factly. "Now it's on to the next Gym"

She started to walk some more. If I wanted to talk to her alone, now's a good time to start.

"Well, now." I said, stopping her. "Congratulations on that."

She turned my direction, smiled bright and said. "Why thank you."

I took a good long look at her… she seemed rather dignified in the way she spoke…in fact, the fact she turned to look me straight in the eyes to thank me isn't something you'd see often in a public place… the girl must have felt violated because her face changed from a smile to unease.

"You know," she commented. "It's rude to stare."

I found that ironic, judging from the victim I met earlier. However, I decided to test her personality.

"I would have to wonder, though," I said, meeting her eyes." How excited are you at taking on this next gym… with tougher opponents and easily requiring more strength and strategy than before. How excited are you to take on another challenge?"

A light of determination filled her eyes. "These Gyms are a piece of cake for me and my team!" she declared. She closed her eyes for a second to think, and opened them again. "Let's see, the next Gym is a ghost one… So I will figure out some way to win against that Gym leader."

_Hmph, not very good at planning ahead._ I thought. _A thought like that could easily cause a loss most times, if she really thought that way, she must have won her Gym challenges on mostly dumb luck!_ I frowned and her and got up to walk toward her.

"Hah," I mocked. "A mindset like that…" I stopped in front of her, turning my head to look her eye to eye. "…is your loss of the battle."

She smiled arrogantly, her eyes looking down on me. "Me, lose a Gym Battle? Ha, Never!"

"What makes you so confident about yourself?" I interrogated. "Do you even know what Ghost Types are capable of?"

Platinum laughed it off. "That's what I got a Pokédex for." She gloated, waving a wallet-sized device in her hand. "Duh!"

My patience wore thin quickly… I can see how Tyson could be shunned by her

"Are you Platinum, by any chance." I got to the point.

"And if it is?" she asked, rather snobbishly.

"Then we need to talk…" I replied. "I believe a stroke of 'Karma' asked me to help with something."

She didn't take another step. "I don't go anywhere if I don't know the name of the person who's taking me."

That struck another typical bell in familiarity. The way she thanked me, now the way she talks with strangers…

"What do you think I am, a ruffian?" I asked, seeing if that rung the last bell…

Her eyes focused on mine. "just making sure…"

I turned to face her, the last alarm was rung. "Unwavering confidence, stating proper etiquette casually, a quick suspicion towards strangers, and familiarity with 'Ruffian'… You're of noble class, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." She replied, apparently not very surprised at my figuring it out.

"Alright, then, young lady…" I thought over my series of questions, first pertaining to lead the topic towards Tyson. " What do you favor more… Friendship, or ambition."

Platinum grew puzzled. "Hmm, Such an odd question… I can't give you an answer, I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "I'd prefer having an answer… so perhaps I'll rephrase it…" my stare turned into a leer."What are you more content with in life: Becoming a champion, or enjoying time with those you hold close…"

Platinum reciprocated the leer. "I would have to say, Becoming a champion. For reasons I would rather not say to a complete stranger, no offense."

I was disgusted with the response, and I couldn't help thinking about Tyson and how he felt… I could hardly imagine how much it would hurt if Blaziken were to decide to shun and desert me for someone else. I can understand a childhood friendship because I've known Blaziken since I left home. Sure, we've had arguments and Blaziken's given me attitude, but that's natural even between friends. But even when we didn't have arguments, we would rather prefer each other's company over all else. Ambition was just something I felt we could share together… to enjoy together.

This girl disgusted me, she didn't seek ambition to share with her partners… she sought it for herself. "Well, Despite what you said. I _am_ offended…" I spat. "To prefer ambition over friendship, that means if friendship got in the way, you'd discard it, right? How arrogant!"

Platinum was affronted, but my talk didn't end there. "You really think your ambitious drive will get you what you want? It's no wonder that Torterra didn't listen to you initially… you had to coerce it to fight for you, despite it not being yours."

Now Platinum was the one disgusted. She said "I don't have time to get yelled at by some stranger" before turning to walk away. I can see why Karma's so concerned now. This kid believes that as long as she gets what she wants, she will hardly care for whatever else happens. Well, I may not be the greatest counselor in the world, but if I hope to make a point for Karma, then I'll have to use another approach.

I considered what that Tyson guy told me about his little fight. I remember seeing on TV that often times the best time for people to get someone's attention is to reenact a previous event that made some kind of impact on someone. Admittedly, I would prefer not to do so, but given a second's thought, maybe it might work. Besides, with an attitude like that, she kind of deserves it in my opinion. That considered, I immediately broke into a short dash, and threw a hook at the left shoulder. The swing spun her around, knocking her to the ground as I stopped.

"Urgh." She grunted, quickly grabbing her shoulder. "What was that for?"

"does that attack feel familiar?" I tightened my fist more than I thought. Tch, guess her attitude got to me more than I realized. "Because I'm sure I was told that was how the first strike happened before."

"Alright, I get it." Does she now? "You talked to Tyson."

Well, now, the light went on somewhat… doesn't looks like she gets the point yet, though.

_Hehe.._ Karma's giggle rang in my head. _Now you've done it._

_Done what?_ I thought to myself… _all I intended to do was remind her, and it worked. At the very least I can get my point a-._ My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden twinge in the back of my mind. Focusing like it was instinctive nature, I raised a hand and pictured myself holding two incoming objects. It wasn't until I looked to my right did I realize it was the move Vine Whip, seemingly brought out from the ground by an unknown boy.

_Damn…_ I thought. _So THAT'S how Peter Parker feels when his spider senses tingle._

As impressed as I was about my reflexes, the kid was not exactly helping my situation. As a result, I was more irritated at him than awed at myself… which helps my response, I guess…

"I would be wise to stay out of this…" I told the kid, still restraining his attack. "This girl's arrogance has gone too far and I've been asked to address this clearly."

"Well, looks like you and me are one in the same, mister." He said, apparently trying to force his vines through my restraint. It felt like I wasn't even trying, before it took a little more effort to maintain a Psychic hold before… it feels strange, handling this with little effort all of a sudden.

"What concern is it of yours?" Platinum asked.

"Take it from a guy who currently seeks redemption from his past mistakes." I sound so cheesy… jeez. "Pretty soon, You'll be forced to choose from your closest friend, or your greatest goal."

The girl snorted, I assumed she thought the same way. "Only the weak feel that way, I have always been taught that your goals should be the first thing on your list.." she stated. "Look out for number one, so that way you won't get hurt."

I stand corrected, that sounds like something Marshtomp and I saw on TV. Besides that, according to Tyson, Platinum has a boyfriend named Lucas. I wonder if he understands what she just said.

"You hear that, boy?" I mocked, testing his reaction. "That means if she were forced to choose, she will abandon you without a moment's notice… and she calls herself your friend?"

The guy made a sour face at me, like I said something stupid. "You think I haven't been told the same thing?"

_WHAT?_ Despite my maintaining a very straight face, my mind was freaking out like some stupefied cartoon_. This buster knows she will ditch him if he gets in her way, and he's STILL her friend! Who are these people?_

"think about your Pokémon, then…" I responded, trying hard not to let them catch on to my reaction. "who fight for you in every battle you take part in. They will trust your judgment and follow you in every event you take them to. How do you think they would feel about you attitude right now?"

"Don't get me wrong, my Pokémon are very close to me." Platinum said. "They're my true family, my father loved them and I love them. That's why I know I will win!"

From out of nowhere, something about that Lucas guy began to grate at my nerves for some reason. My Pendant began feeling a little heavier, and I felt strangely annoyed. Perhaps it might just be fueled at my instantly spotting the hypocrisy of what Platinum said.

"you claim that your Pokémon are close to you." I said, with a hint of irritation. "but you said you'll look out for number one… I think you're full of shit!"

"Hmph!" she snorted, she looked about to say something else, but I heard someone else speak somewhere.

"Why does that voice sound familiar?"

The sudden rising irritation vanished when I recognized the person speaking from the distance. "Hm, if that's who I think it is, then he would know exactly what I'm talking about."

Sure enough, it was Gary Oak of Pallet Town. One time a Pokémon Trainer, now a Pokémon Researcher. When I last met him, I was asked to snatch the latest data on fossilized Pokémon and their abilities, as well as whichever of the Pokémon as possible. I wasn't as good a battler as I am now, though, but it was enough to stalemate against Gary until the cavalry arrived. In the end, my immediate team was cut off of radio and the other grunts were knocked out, and as a result, I made the deal that we leave with a copy of the data, on the promise that we not report any Pokémon being present along with leaving them alone from then on… the scientists agreed and I was reprimanded later by the squad leader for not attempting to fight despite the disadvantage.

Gary stopped next to Lucas and ordered him to put down the vines before looking at me, I released my psychic hold as the vines slacked. Platinum got to her feet and Gary gave me a disapproving look.

"Eric Claid," he said. "Sorry if these two have caused you any trouble."

I shook my head. "It's no problem I can't handle, Gary. You ought to have known me better than that."

A few other people arrived from behind Gary, an instant's glance told me that the new arrivals were a woman and another girl of about my age. I returned my gaze back to Gary, however, as there are currently more important things to discuss.

"Gary," I said. "As much as I didn't expect your appearance. I believe we can both agree that these two kids have a problem in burning bridges…"

Gary rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Well, if you feel your methods are going to be better than what I've considered, then be my guest.."

I closed my eyes for a moment, processing my next move. "I'll suppose I'll ask this first, then…" I opened my eyes. "Platinum and… Lucas, was it? What do you see friendship as?"

I glanced at platinum as she said her answer. "I see friendship as a way for people to help others when they need it, but they should never get in the way of someone else's dreams."

_Typical rich kid, self centered despite what they know._ I turned my gaze over to Lucas, giving him the indication he ought to answer as well.

"I see friendship as a way for people to help others when they need it the most," he replied confidently. "and that People shouldn't treat friends like servants."

_A more realistic person, he understands that things can have the possibility of compromise._ Okay, based on this, Platinum's more likely to burn bridges with people if they clash with her schedule. Lucas seems to only burn bridges when it's the only alternative…

"alright, next question…" I moved on, since most gentlemen don't keep a lady waiting (pffft… for her, I could care less). "when you refer to friendship as 'people' helping each other out, does this exclusively refer to us human beings?"

Lucas was affronted. "of course not, Pokémon are living beings too, and as such should be treated as a friend." He declared. "Heck, in battles, they are the ones doing most of the work. We Trainers just sit on the sidelines and shout commands!"

_Hah, if you'd been where I have, kid, you'd beg to differ._

I glanced in platinum's direction and waited.

"I say that if it is alive, then they are expected to live like any other thing that is living, meaning don't interfere with someone else's dreams." Platinum said, reaffirming her wants. "Now, if we are done playing twenty questions, we have places to go and I need to get my next Gym Badge."

Platinum turned around and again began to walk away. I felt something very familiar, however, it was fairly faint unlike those other times. The first thing that went through my mind was one question… _Am I the target?_

"what if I told you that Lukas's getting PokéUnison is proof of even deadlier battles from here on out?" I asked… the feeling growing fainter as Platinum was walking, she stopped only a few steps away from where she was. "Battles where even the trainer themselves will have to fight for them and their team to survive."

Platinum stopped, slacked in an exasperated manner for a second, and turned around to give me an "Are-you-BEEEEP-stupid" kind of look. "so you mean that Lucas's getting PokéUnison will cause him to fight trainers that will risk everything for their Pokémon, even their own lives?"

I shook my head. "First off, between the two of you, Lukas's logic behind friendship is easily more solid than yours, Platinum." I lectured. "because all you think about are your own dreams. You never consider that everyone has a dream to chase, and without thinking, you stomp those dreams…"

Platinum rolled her eyes. Lucas, on the other hand, seemed intent on hearing me out, despite his blank expression. "For instance, what if I was some random Trainer bent on becoming champion?" I raised my hands up. "if you say don't interfere with someone else's dream, then we'd both want the same thing. Then only one of us could have our dream come true, the other will have to keep on dreaming."

Platinum frowned before cocking an eyebrow. "I take it you had your dreams crushed once before?"

I nodded. _Story time, cliff notes version._ "Unlike you, however, I aimed to be champion so I could share the glory with my team. We lost due to a sabotage that no one would spot. My opponent stunned me telepathically, blurring my thoughts… and rubbed it in afterward."

I glanced over towards Lucas, and felt another pair of eyes looking at me.

"Later," I continued. "I was coerced into working for someone so I could get stronger. But as I got there, I've done a number of things I hope to redeem myself of someday…"

_Then what?_ A familiar voice spoke. I looked back at Lucas (whose eyes were glues to a PDA in one hand) and found the blue Mew-looking creature….

_Joy, huh?_ I thought. _What is it about you that your siblings find so valuable, anyways?_

"Finally…" I said, obliging the little guy. "I learned of these three seers of the world, and figured out that I'm part of something that would otherwise be called absurd. Because of it, I now have an enemy that's hell bent on killing me."

Lucas looked up from the PDA in his hand. "You work for Team Rocket, don't you?"

I closed my eyes and took a moment to maintain my straight face. _Team Rocket… me, working for Team Rocket. No, not anymore, they used me to make an army of Shadow Pokémon abominations. They're the ultimate form of brainwashing, brainwashing so powerful that it renders the victim unable to think for themselves. Knowing this, I'm to work for Team Rocket? No, not anymore, not in a million years!_

I opened my eyes and found Lucas still expecting an answer. His eyes wandered to the right and apparently seemed to have understood something, I assumed he has some Psychic Pokémon of some kind relaying my thoughts. Not that I care, I don't feel like hiding anything…

"…Formerly"

_Whoever you are, you might as well say that all I have to fight with are my Unison abilities…_

Lucas paused for a couple seconds, looking me in the eyes. "Platinum, perhaps we should listen to what he says after all."

Platinum threw her arms up in a helpless gesture and sighed. "Fine, what does an ex-con like you want from me?"

A vein throbbed in my forehead. _That's one hell of an assumption, brat. Assuming I'm an Ex-con based on my being from Team Rocket.._

"first of all, I'm not an 'ex-con'. Ex-convicts have been arrested before, but I've never been arrested." I corrected. "Secondly, I've been asked by someone known as 'Karma' to show you that perhaps your pride might be going a bit too far."

"Oh Really, like I have not heard that already." Platinum said sarcastically. "I don't believe, however, that you explained to me how so, though."

I was about to oblige her, until the familiar chill began pricking me. My eyes widened, and I relaxed my head slightly to focus on where that feeling is coming from. As I looked around, Platinum seemed to have gotten a smug look on her face, almost as if she won an argument. The feeling began to become clear to my senses, however, it developed into the feeling that someone stuck the tip of a blade to my neck, threatening to stab through… except unlike before, it felt like the tip was at the side of my neck.

"Well, then." Platinum started to strut to the left, the pointed feeling dragged across the back of my neck. "it seems to me that you're just here to get in my way. Now I don't know what's going through your whiney little brain of yours, but you obviously don't understand I have more important-…. Time slowed down to me as the tip stuck through to a stab of alarm. A Trushade Scyther leapt out from the woods behind me and charged our direction. The minute I turned to face I, though, its eyes were set on something else. It occurred to me immediately then. The point at the side of the neck, that was its focus, and when the girl strut to talk smack, the focus followed her.

_The Girl!_ I thought, and I sprinted off in pursuit.

"MOVE!" in a little less than a few instants, I stepped in, pushing Platinum very lightly so that she only needed to step back a step or two. The Scyther's eyes focused on me but too late, I gripped its left blade, broke it off with a punch and with a twist, thrust it through the enemy's head. For a couple seconds, the Scyther didn't spout any blood except a blackish mist, and went limp for about a second before it and the blade I destroyed it with, vaporized almost instantly.

A chilling few seconds went by, I slowed my quick breathing to glance at everyone. Platinum, Lucas, and Gary's faces were pale. The girl and woman in the background, seemed caught off guard.

"Is that really the only set of assassins they have?" I complained. "I'm getting sick of Scythers."

"What the hell…?" Gary gulped. The feeling returned in bulk, and I turned towards the woods the Scyther came from, focusing a Psycho cut like it was a quick draw. "That Scyther… Why did you-?"

All at once, pandemonium washed over as waves of Trushades rushed forward. Among them, though, only Scyther was what I could identify. Another one I remember seeing before, with the arms and pincers from the side of its head, I'll decided to call them Bugtaurs with their having four legs as well as those arms. Aside from that, there were frog-like Pokémon similar to Politoed, only taller, more sinister looking, and had some kind of hook in the centers of their hands.

A group of the strange Frog looking Pokémon reared back their arms, now glowing purple. With a swift swing and shout of "Psycho Cut", I swung my triangular blade at the enemy, slicing the first few enemies in half from the waist. The enemies swarmed past the disappearing corpses, and a few swipes were only enough to keep up with the swarm. Countless enemies began pouring into the fray, and with a tug of her arm, I pulled Platinum with me away from the thickest of the crowd.

"PokéUnison, Blaziken!" I said, and with a flash, I was able to lift Platinum and move aside.

The Trushades were chasing after us, but unlike my human form, it was a little easier to keep the enemy back. Three Fire Punches knocked back the larger Pokémon, but with Blaze Kick after Blaze kick, each Pokémon was replacing another. I hopped up, slammed two Blaze kicks together like a pair of scissors, dispatching a Bugtaur and a Frog. I landed on my left hand, thrust my kicks at those funny looking bulges on the Frogs' throats, they ripped through and I felt two things break, destroying them.

"PokéUnison, Alakazam!" With a pair of Flashes in succession, I reverted to normal before transforming into Kadabra. Using levitation, I sped around Platinum, slashing Frog after Frog at the throats with Psycho Cut, clearing the crowd a little, a couple Scythers joined the mix, hampering down on personal space. I parried one slash each before striking them down, but as the Scyther's slowed me down, more of those Frogs caught up, beginning to strike back, placing me quickly on the defensive.

"Revert!" I said quickly, before commanding "Protect", gritting my teeth while raising a barrier between me and the Trushade onslaught.

I managed to look back at Platinum behind me; she was completely blank in the eyes. That and her expression easily told me she has absolutely no idea what the hell is going on, too spun around in the head to really see everything going on.

"Hey! Snap out of it!" I scolded. "You think you're safe just because I'm trying to protect you!"

Lights seemed to turn on in the girl's eyes as she looked at mine. But when I was about to continue, something big slammed the barrier, possibly breaking it had I not returned my attention to it. Two of those Bugtaur Trushades were attacking the block alternatively. The pincers on the arms were glowing purple, just like those Frogs, and the cross attacks began bearing down. Releasing the Barrier. I thrust the psychic blade forward, No effect, the first of the two strikes cross-cut at my chest. I threw my feet forward and drop kicked the second attacker on the lower bit of the upper body. What surprised me there was a brittle jerk of something breaking, and the Trushade's upper body snapped, destroying it.

I pushed up and swung my legs at the second one, striking it at the same midsection. The section snapped, and the Trushade fell, unable to move on the lower half. I leapt up to my feet, and the Trushade crowd thinned away from me and a small wall of enemy Frogs and Scythers were two arms length away from me, whereas the other side behind them was thick with enemies.

_Something's wrong…_ I thought.

"AAHH!" Platinum yelped, and suddenly two objects stabbed me in the back, one of which nearly missed my heart. Fear for my life took over and I reached over, grabbed the objects, and with almost an enraged howl, pulled on the objects and two Frogs were on the ground in front of me, blood seemingly on the purple glowing hooks of their hands. I brought out two Psycho Cut blades and put the Shades down, as well as a few more oncoming enemies that were rushing me at the opportune instant.

Very quickly, my blades were not cutting very well and my arms grew heavy. As I dropped from my buckling legs, my back rammed against something, and I was on my side on the ground, my head seriously swimming.

_A-alright, Trinity, where's that kiss of life?_ It only just occurred to me that the body I was in was a copy; over the course of this entire shtick I completely forgot that the only thing that was really mine here was my thinking mind and PokéUnison abilities. I considered whether my real body would be catatonic if I died here, or if I would instead be waking up from a nightmare.

The world got slightly darker, but while my head was swimming, I felt something shaking me. I figured that must be Platinum, having finally figured out what's going on around her, trying desperately to keep me awake.

"P-Poke…Unison…" sound was fading, but I felt myself trying to think of my next move as I whispered. "M-marshtomp…"

Upon transforming into Marshtomp, I only had enough energy to do one more thing. After that, Platinum's going to have to run and pray for her life's safety. Tapping into Marshtomp's natural know-how, I opened my mouth, and focused the cold energy of Ice Beam and fired at whatever larger shadow was looming over us.

I wondered how Neo felt when Trinity kissed him on that movie, because just as I dropped down, my world quickly going black, I felt like a weight was just suddenly lifted off of me and the world began getting more focused. A quick flash and I was reverted to normal without any say. My vision began getting clearer and the points numbed by those Poison Jabs were becoming nothing more than mild aches.

"Augh…" the sudden change in focus felt disorienting. "Shit…"

I grit my teeth as I got up. "Is it…" Over? Turns out not to be the case, as soon as I got my senses straightened out, I felt the wave of danger looming nearby. But it was too quiet, why?

I got to my knees and found the woman knelt down beside an unconscious Blissey. It didn't take long to realize that sudden burst of life came from Healing Wish, a VERY powerful means of healing… so powerful, in fact, that once a comrade is finished recovering, the user faints.

I looked to my right and Platinum was kneeling beside me, her eyes expressing relief that I'm not a goner. I broke eye contact and got to my feet.

"Pokémon Battling is evolving, Platinum. And that includes those involved in them." I said. "the danger's not over yet. Get with your group, it's safer to stick together."

"Got it." The woman agreed. "C'mon, Platinum."

Platinum and the woman got up and took off towards her group, I glanced at the second girl, and understood quickly she intended to count on me to handle things. Something about her expression, however, seemed to suggest she knows me.

_I don't know how you got the Sacred Fire._ She said telepathically. _But believe me when I say that it's a lot more than just a flame and necklace. In fact, you'll learn that pretty soon given the situation._

It dawned on me rapidly what she meant as a barrier formed in front of her. Gary and Platinum reacted in protest, but there was little point in trying to listen. Instead, I turned to face the enemy crowd, thick with Trushades likely intending to kill the girl behind me. I was the only thing that stood between the enemy and the barrier… and I pulled out my pendant, and stared at it as the sense of alarm just kept rising.

_Alright, Ho-oh…_ I thought. _If what that other girl said is true, how will I know how to develop this Sacred Fire?_

Right after the thought crossed my mind, I felt a sort of buildup in energy coming from the pendant. It grew, steadily, like a need was rising up the priority ladder, until it swept me in a rush of impulse. Only then did I learn what it wanted… the Fire really did have a mind of its own, and right now, it wanted me to fight this enemy; fight until every last shadow was gone. I closed my eyes, letting the urge to fight coincide, and wondered in the back of my mind if my eyes were to glow orange or something. The feeling that I wasn't alone in this one-against-many finale probably answered that for me.

"right…" I said to myself, thinking of how Neo felt when he was revived as the One. "'there is no spoon.'"

Heat began building up in my body, but unlike a typical increase in temperature, this felt more like an increase of energy. Then all at once, I stuck out my arms, holding Blaziken's Pokéball in my right hand and transformed again. I swung my arms forward in a scissors chop, two Frogs disappeared. Light began flashing toward me, I turned left and stepped back; grabbing, clutching, and breaking two more blades and frantically slashing with them at the crowd: three Frogs, two Bugtaurs, and two Scythers gone along with the blades. More of the Frogs, almost numbering six to eight, threw Poison Jabs at me from every frontal direction. I hopped back, breathing deep and blasting fire in their direction, two to three in the center began drying up and scorching before vanishing, the remaining began charging, their hooked hands still glowing poisonous purple. I clenched my fists harder, and the wrist and knuckles erupted into flame; I stepped forward, the closest jabs grazing my upper sides, and struck the punches into the Frogs' throats, myself stopping slightly between them.. I stepped once more, and like a spring, flung the two Frogs into the thinning crowd, knocking back three oncoming Bugtaurs before they disintegrated.

A quick glance revealed the onslaught to be thinning out, but as the same time, growing more desperate. Four to five pairs of Scyther Blades on the front, Poison Jabs from those remaining Frogs from behind. Knowing I couldn't block them all, I dove to the right, rolled, one-eightied, then leapt up with one foot.

"PokéUnison, Charizard!" This marks the first time I'll have used this form in Battle, and if my math is right, this should finish it!

Two flashes, a small one reverting me to normal, and a much larger one, giving me loads more bulk and muscle at the cost of speed. Now all that's left was to solve one problem: _now, how do I use hyper Bea—Wait a minute…_

"_His body knew how to fly long before he did." _Blaziken's advice echoed _"if you really did become like him, then that body you take on should know too…"_

I closed my eyes and focused hard on learning how Charizard uses Hyper Beam, and like Blaziken said, my body's instincts guided me. All my muscles tightened as energy began building in my open jaw, and with one large push of will, I fired a large white beam at the enemy crowd. Black-colored Scythers that flew at me in pursuit were pushed back into the crowd, the ground was only hit by the beam an instant before the sudden buildup of energy at the endpoint blew it apart, destroying any remaining enemies in the shattering of hooks, pincers, and blades.

I floated down to the ground, barely able to make a stable landing, reverted to normal, and fell to my knees with my eyes closed, panting heavily. The fight is over; I SOMEHOW singlehandedly defeated the majority of a Trushade ambush, and successfully preserved Platinum's life. _Mission Accomplished… right?_

"Told ya so!" the second girl said, confirming my thoughts.

I heard pairs of footsteps approaching me in a dash. I tried opening my eyes, but it felt like everything was suddenly brighter. I assumed I was still under the backlash of Hyper Beam, as my eyes were quickly adjusting, I tried standing up, but my legs gave way for an instant. I then felt a pair of hands helping to support me..

"Easy there, Claid-Sama." The girl said.

I was exhausted, sure, but that didn't stop me from spotting that… "-sama" is a Japanese term to refer to someone of high respect, typically one of higher class.

"eh…?" I panted. "What… do I…have a…fan now?"

I glanced at the girl, giving her a brief idea of her appearance. Her reflective pink hair was about shoulder length, besides that and her swamp-like blue-green eyes and a bit of a tan, she was otherwise an ordinary looking girl facially.

A look of surprise and embarrassment flashed through the Girl's expression, apparently saying she made a mistake. "eh, kinda."

_Nice try in hiding it, kid._ You say someone's name, and realize it as a mistake, you thought of someone else. The snag was, Claid is my last name. Most people, with exception of professional business, who aren't my friend usually will call me that. Why did she say my name and think I was someone else?

"was there someone …" I said, still panting. "you know that's… similar… to me?"

"yeah, I guess." She replied.

I caught my breath a minute later, and as I got up, it turns out everyone was okay. I looked at Pink Hair and began wondering what happened while I protected Platinum.

"so am I okay to guess…" I inquired, "That you were handling most of the attack against your part of the group?"

"Yeah, more or less." She said. "Thanks for helping us from those Tr—" she stopped herself, "C-crazy Pokémon…"

Alarms blared in my mind, and my gaze shot toward Pink Hair. Unexpectedly, she seemed recognize the expression well, because something began mildly ringing in my head for a brief instant.

_I know you caught what I corrected._ She said. _But don't worry, I'm not under __**his**__ control…_

Control? Whose control? _I'll see to asking you questions when I get a chance._ I thought, expecting her to receive the message herself. _In particular about what this "control" deal is about._

"Hmm…" I murmered, sizing her up to hide the thought-speech. "never did get a good look at you, was kind of preoccupied with the matter I was called for… a bit heavy on the pink, though…" I particularly stared at her wardrobe for a second, it looked like a miniskirt at first glance, but then I quickly spotted biker shorts underneath, and figured she's physically fit, but doesn't quite wish for the world to see that. Her mindset revealed something a little more secretive, like she knows a lot more than what she's getting at…

"Well, Pink _is_ my favorite color." She replied obnoxiously.

I rolled my eyes, letting the comment blow over.

"alright," I looked at Platinum and Lucas. "I'm sure you two would have plenty of questions to ask." They looked at each other, then back at me, likely contemplating who asks first.. I sighed before saying… "Well… ask away, and I'll answer as best I can."

"Alright then…" Platinum said almost immediately. "What the _hell_ were those Pokémon's problems?"

"I told you I had an enemy hell bent on killing me, remember?" she nodded "Those were it. I call them 'Trushade' Pokémon, short for 'Truly Shadow' Pokémon. Based on what I've experienced, Trushades are carbon copies of an original Pokémon, as in their physical limits are the same, as are the attacks and moves they can use. What they lack, however, is any sense of identity. they're without a doubt the closest to killing machines you'll ever face."

"okay, then why are they after you?" Platinum asked.

"maybe Because the corrupted Trainer commanding them has a beef with me." I suggested, "What's strange, though, is that they were coming after _you_. I merely was just in the way. You think someone's got a grudge against you?"

"ummm." Platinum's eyes wandered upward. "Well, the only one I would think of is Tyson... My father made a lot of enemies, but I doubt they would go after me."

I rolled my eyes. "gee, I wonder who your Pop was." I wondered sarcastically.

"Well, He was a scientist of Orre." She said. "he was constantly working experiments as if he was trying to prevent something. Called the experiments attempts to prevent the appearance of 'Namuh, but he died during one of his experiments, so it was never finished."

_Namuh? Wait, a lab accident in Orre…_ I thought to myself. _I swear I've heard of something like that before on the news! The scientist's name was… berlins, beriz, britz, no… ah hell!_ I took note to look it up later when I got back, but that name, Namuh, _does_ sound familiar.

"Namuh… that name sounds familiar." I commented, still trying to remember the scientist's surname. _Was it Bitz… it sounded like beret and blitz. Dammit! It feels right in front of me!_ "Err, 'N-A-M-U-H' is how it's spelled, right? 'Human' backwards."

"Yeah, that's correct." She nodded.

I glanced over to Lucas, who I swear seems to be fairly earnest in saying something.. "Dude, as polite as you're being in letting the lady speak, if you got something to say, then say it."

Lucas's glazing expression snapped into reality again. "I, uh, just get this bad feeling something big's going to happen where my Penpal is. I've just read some messages from him, and he's been saying a few things about Shadow Pokémon and Team Rocket.

I didn't say a word for a bit, thought a thought did occur to me of this previous message Kevin sent. Something about a penpal named "rarehunterlucas."

"Is there Shadow Pokémon entering Team Rocket?" he asked.

I closed my eyes and prayed that wouldn't be the case. But since that revelation, there's no doubt in it.

"Why do you think…" I said in a foreboding manner. "I plot to raise hell on them?"

Platinum's attention was seized, and she looked at me, eagerly awaiting what I was to say next.

"I've discovered that they crossed my line of morality ever since they found me valuable… two years I've stayed there under the charade that I'd grow stronger. Now they're going to regret having used me, and if you thought I raised hell by myself, wait until you see me with my team.. we'll give them a real reason to regret using us.

Lucas and the woman walking toward us looked at me skeptically "You don't honestly want us to believe you'll take on all of team rocket at once, do you?" the woman inquired, frowning. "and with Shadow Pokémon, you're asking for trouble…"

"I can take them all at once, and I will…" I stated. "they don't call me a 'mastermind in the making' for nothing"

I caught myself getting annoyed, and I took a deep breath before I let myself escalate any further.

"alright, excuse that." I said, sighing. "I've got a lot of anger to give out on them, and I'm trying to hold off until I get my chance. In the meantime, I might as well get down to business and inform you of a couple things. Three for those of you not in the know" I leered exclusively at Pink Hair, giving her the knowledge of my suspicions.

"First things first, I may not be fully aware of why the Trushades are after me… though one of my standing theories is because of this." I pulled out my pendant necklace from under my shirt. "Apparently this necklace is meant to serve as proof that I've earned something called the 'Sacred Fire of Ho-oh'."

I caught Pink hair trying to hide a smile, but not very well. the woman, however, seemed particularly interested in the Pendant, as is Lucas from the looks of it.

"You have any idea what this Sacred Fire could be?" the woman asked.

No idea. All he gave me was riddles on that subject…" I admitted. "thought perhaps Pink Hair over there could give some kind of insight…" I looked at her again, and smirked when I spotted a vein throbbing.

"It's Pearl!" she exclaimed, pausing a second to cool off. "And Yes, I do. Perhaps you should consider thinking of what Ho-oh would do. Try to act a little more like him. That is why he chose you, right?"

_She knows too much… _I thought. _But that is a good point…_

"hmm…" I pondered the comment. "Ho-oh _did_ say something along those lines… that I and one other were the closest to him personality-wise."

"One other?" Platinum repeated.

I nodded. "he chose me between the two of us because while he was impulsive and reckless, I was cautious and levelheaded."

"and this other person is…?" Gary suddenly looked up from his deep train of thought..

"You should know him, Gary," I said. "I figured it out to be Ash Ketchum."

Gary closed his eyes and made a mild smile. "hm, that does sound like him." He turned and walked away, returning to his deep thinking, muttering to himself.

"Second: despite what you might think, I'm not actually here in the flesh." I continued. "I'm not too sure how it works, but somehow the only two things here that are really mine are my mind and Unison abilities… sort of like being in the Matrix."

"Ah, I've heard of that movie." Platinum commented. "Haven't seen it yet, though…"

"Finally," I resumed once again. "I came here based on a request made by Karma, but I also made sure I made a deal first."

Platinum apparently turned to glance at Karma, who kept her gaze on me.

"I told her, I'd help her out… but because of my learning Team Rocket's true motives and how I was used, I told her I wanted you and your friends to see what I plan to do."

"Watch what, I wonder." Pearl sarcastically remarked. Rolling her eyes with a smile.

_If I had half the sense to, I'd find a means of bringing you down to Earth._ I thought to myself.

"Well?" platinum asked. "Watch what?"

I cocked an eyebrow, just realizing she honestly didn't know (or figure it out, for that matter).

"My revenge attack on Team Rocket." I stated flatly.

"Oh… that."

For about a second or something, everything but my vision suddenly went blank, I saw myself tilting over before I got my senses back and caught myself.

_S-sorry, Eric. _Karma apologized. _I'm beginning to have difficulty keeping you here for much longer..._

"Alright, I'll try saying a little more before leaving with a lighter note." I began to cut to the chase. "For one thing, since I've asked Karma to have you watching me, that means you'll likely be out cold when you are. So my best advice is to find someplace to settle down, and pretend like you're sleeping. Otherwise, any passerby will quickly think you dropped dead or something."

"Good to know, thanks." Platinum leered mischievously at Karma, Who didn't notice. Lucas looked more awkward or clueless about the whole thing. Besides that, now for that lighter note.

"Oh!" Lucas blurted out suddenly. "That's right, my Penpal also said you also have a PDA, you mind if we share contacts?"

I cocked an eyebrow at the sudden request… "Dunno what we would have to talk about, but okay then, 'rarehunterlucas'…" I hissed a brief snicker or two before giving him my number. I memorized his since I didn't have any other means… now… as I was GOING to do…

_Karma, you want a laugh, I'll give you one._ I thought, expecting her to read my mind. _I'm going to say a line from a show called "Family Guy". The next time I try to say "Sentence," cut me off and send me back, they'll get it._

"Well then." I smiled, "all in all, I'll admit this does end okay. 'At least this isn't like the Sopranos where they end the show in mid-sen—'"

And the show cuts to black anyways. Cue the Family Guy Credits theme, heh heh heh.

Err, no actually, don't… that's the only thing of that show I hardly care for.


	46. Chapter 45: Phoenix, The Rogue

Chapter 45: Phoenix, The Rogue

I returned to my body with only a lingering dizziness. I felt a bit heavier than usual and it took me a bit before it would go away. Besides that, everyone was staring at me and after a second's thought, I realized why.

"What, did you guys actually see what happened"

Marshtomp and Charizard looked at each other and snickered; Blaziken gave me a bit of a funny look and his eyes drifted away to the left. Riolu was getting that giant sweatdrop look and Alakazam just narrowed his eyes halfway..

"yes, we did," Blaziken replied, his tone of voice seemed rather defeatist for some reason." but we also found that while you were using your Unisons wherever you were, your real body was also using them."

I stared at them skeptically. "Alright, seriously, what happened while I was helping Karma?"

They all pointed behind me, I looked in said direction and found a group of five kids staring at me utterly stupefied. The kids couldn't be any more then beginning to amateur Pokémon trainers, and I think one of them was twitching at the eyes, some crazed look of excitement just fixing to burst.

"the oldest one mistaken you for a Ditto for some reason," Alakazam explained, "and went as far as to throw a few Pokéballs to catch you. None of it worked, and he's been scratching his head as to where the Trainer was. It wasn't until after that little battle of yours did they finally learn, and I had stopped reading your mind long enough to explain it they've been standing there for a couple minutes now."

This awkward silence was becoming unnerving, I had to say something

"Um..." I thought of what witty comment I ought to say, debated whether or not to go into Super Classified talk this one sci-fi movie had. "No, I'm not an alien; I'm not some whacked out science project." _ah, the hell with it, I might as well. _ "And there is no such thing as the Men in Black." I broke out a giant grin in some mild attempt to lighten the mood

A couple of the kids jumped out a couple laughs, the oldest one just kept looking skeptically, the remaining two felt like saying something, but seemed too unnerved to speak. My grin mellowed down to something a little more genuine, and I crossed my arms and looked each of them in the eyes, deciding against reading their brains.

"okay, really." I said with a lighthearted tone. "I'm sure what you saw was pretty freaky, so I'm assuming you're wanting to know what happened right?"

All the kids nodded, but only one of them spoke. "We all saw you on top of the Bell Tower, how'd it feel to battle against the legendary Ho-oh?"

"Uhh..." technically, I fought a doppelganger created by Ho-oh, I guessed that these kids didn't quite see what happened. "actually, it was more of a personal test, I didn't exactly battle Ho-oh, more like I was given a trial by him."

"Whooaaaa!" the kids were confused when I began, but when I finished, the lights went on in a couple of them, and the more clueless kids just joined the collective. I felt another of those sweatdrop moments taking place at how I'm going to be leaving. Reading the minds of the smarter kids, they wondered if I was going on some crusade of some kind

"Truth be told, It's a little difficult to explain." I admitted. "but I'm sure you'll know what I mean when you're older, though."

"Hey! Whaddya mean by that?" some of the kids complained at different times.

"it's said that in youth, we learn, and in age, we understand." I replied, trying to end the conversation. "we're all still young, so we still got time to try understanding it."

***BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP***

Saved by the bell, my PDA blared it's notice for a new mail message. But with my need to avoid any further confusion, I might as well take advantage of it.

"dang it, I knew I was late." I lied. I opened my inbox, the subject read ** "Hiding out!" ** from Kevin. "Sorry, guys, but we need to get going. I just got a notice that we were supposed to be arriving at this personal appointment. I looked toward my Pokémon, making sure they got the message. have a good one!" I smiled at the confused kids before walking away.

We got back to the hotel, and it turns out that day before had left quite an impression on the people of this city. I walked into the room and found the photograph of all of us napping together, and underneath it were a couple of notes wishing me good luck on my journey to redemption. I smiled at this, and glanced out towards Ecruteak City once more. I felt real good that all the people took my little speech so well, it gave me the morale I needed in knowing that I can have a chance at making up for the crimes I've committed.

I glanced at my partners' faint reflections in the window, I only realized it now, but they seemed very different than when we arrived here. I figured it was a friendship we share, as it turns out, our being friends has given me a chance to fight alongside them. I don't know if this is what every Unison Trainer does in having this. But I know that as long as we help each other out, we'll handle anything we set out minds to. Mine is set on something I feel is suitable for my change of heart something I told Platinum and her group.

That I intend to take revenge on Team Rocket, and do it in the loudest way possible.

I found the silence unnerving. "I guess... all things considered, we have a long road ahead of us. me, especially"

"It's going to be tough, you know." Alakazam said. "All of Kanto will have recognized you in some way. It's only a matter of time before word spreads to Johto."

"I know"

"It would be best if we gave it time first. As of right now, People fear Team Rocket because of their crimes toward Pokémon. Having a very powerful Pokémon Trainer among their midst doesn't help."

I didn't respond, considering how I would carry out a plan of attack.

"I still can't believe it." Blaziken said. "We fell under the simple delusion that we'd grow stronger, Eric especially, and we all were kept in the dark of what's really happening to those Pokémon."

"Whatever the case, They're gonna regret treating us they way they did. I hardly liked them anyways." Charizard said, Blaziken gave him a look and Charizard sighed." Alright... Most of them."

Charizard knew who Blaziken meant, the guys at Club I began worrying about them, if not for their sanity, but at least for their lives. According to Kevin, Syrus began acting more irritable as of late which reminded me, I still remember that Kevin sent me an E-mail. I opened my inbox, and then the message, and a wave of cold washed over me.

"No!" I moaned. "no no no"

"Huh?" Marshtomp piped up. "What's up?"

"What's wuong, Ewic?" Riolu added.

I cleared my throat and read the message aloud:

** "Phoenix,**

**Things have been getting worse back here. Everyone at Club has decided to move residence here in the usual spot ever since Dan got attacked in his room not long after he kept a recording of that thing you went through. Syrus stopped coming to Club, and when I looked to find out why, he seemed possessed and his team became Shadow Pokémon! I dunno if you plan on coming back, but if you're contemplating it, don't. the Grunts have begun circulating that you've acquired the Fire and that their leader will soon make you part of them. The very few of them that haven't been corrupted are terrified, their friends have developed psychotic tendencies towards those against Shadow Pokémon. And they've begun trying to coax the indifferent into joining.**

**So far, we've kept quiet to Syrus of what we're doing, but please as a friend, don't come back, Eric. I've hardly seen a Trainer like you, and in those couple of battles you fought, I've grown to really respect you. Please don't become one of them, please don't come back and give them the chance.**

**Kevin."**

The cold wave felt like it spread through the hotel room as what I've read sunk in. everyone but Riolu was giving me a look of horror, whereas Riolu himself was scared at the looks, figuring something was very wrong. Syrus was a Water type Trainer, easily to be seen rivaling my Fire-Type affinity. More notably, his strongest Pokémon is a Blastoise, which he caught near Cerulean City in the wild as a Wartortle.(surprising, really, given how rare they are). Besides from that, he also has a Slowbro, a Skarmory, and a Poliwrath at his disposal. Should I be forced to fight him, it won't be easy, given his preference to raw strength and endurance as opposed to my taste in agility and combo attacks.

"Syrus, and Blastoise, corrupted?" Blaziken uttered, his fist erupting ablaze, startling Alakazam and Marshtomp. "Grrrr, why them?"

"they were short-tempered." I commented, thinking of when Silvershade tried to possess me. "instead of thinking things through, once someone got into their heads, they had little chance of avoiding temptations they would have difficulty refusing."

I replayed a few possible scenarios in my head as to how I plan to attack. Eventually I came up with the final draft and decided to consider discussing it with my team. _They went too far in making shadow Pokémon in the first place,_ I thought,_ they went even further in getting one of my friends involved. Now they've got hell to pay!_

I took out my PDA, and placed the E-mail address for Kevin.

**Kevin,**

**I read the message aloud, and so far, Blaziken in particular is not happy about what happened to Syrus and his team. We've all gone through quite a bit of hell the past couple of days with these Trushade Pokémon aiming to kill us... to kill me. But in the end, I've reached the Tin Tower, I've met Ho-oh himself, and I've learned the truth behind all my stealing.**

**I'm sorry if I sound ignorant, but I will have to ignore your pleas of being distant. I plan on coming back, however, with no intention of staying for long I'll sneak back into the club premise to explain. I'll likely seem different, and expect me to appear apparently out of nowhere.**

**I'll see you tomorrow, at the usual spot at the normal time.**

**Phoenix**

I thought about mentioning that I met his Penpal, but decided against it since it's be difficult to explain. I sent the message and put my PDA in my pocket, then took out my pendant and stared at it again.

_Think like he would... _I thought._ You said that I represent you the most in personality but why do I feel like I see differently? Perhaps you legendary Pokémon aren't always certain about everything like most novels have claimed maybe even legends ask questions and come across personal conflict as well._

"Eric?" Blaziken said. "Hey, Eric, you awake there?"

I snapped out of my trance and looked back. To my unexpected surprise, I found Gold standing there. Explotaro was there as well, but he was studying Riolu with curiosity.

"Couldn't stop thinking about what happened." He said, lacking the obnoxious grin that I labeled him with. "I learned quite a bit while you were being suspended up there. He paused as he shook his head.. Two whole years with them? I wouldn't have thought they'd be around for that long. Though I suppose with their not being so open about it, it's no surprise."

I had a good idea what he meant. Unfortunately, just because Red defeated Giovanni, whom apparently disbanded the group, doesn't mean the end of a whole organization, even if Giovanni was the boss. Unless the Boss forcefully disbands he group, there will still be people who form it and keep it together. Interestingly enough, from what I've heard, Giovanni was essentially merciless in how he wants things done, showing little to no remorse. The fact that he treated me kindly easily suggests I'm very valuable, but apparently he's acting a little more manipulative than what I was told. Whatever, it's not like it matters much to me anymore, I'm not involving myself with them anymore

"You need something?" I asked, not quite sure what he plans on getting at.

"I heard you were leaving and your little speech yesterday sounded like you meant it." He said, still not quite making sense. "So now what? You apparently found that Team Rocket's making these... 'Shadow Pokémon', whatever they are. What do you plan on doing anyways, just doing business as usual?"

Oh, I get it now he's trying to make sure if I'm going to be his enemy or not.

"You seem to assume that I intend to keep working in Team Rocket." I responded, frowning.

Gold snorted. "Hmph, you actually trying to tell me that with two years being with them, you're just gonna suddenly quit? That's got to be the biggest—"

You got no fucking clue, do you? I thought. Before cutting him off. That's exactly what I'll be trying to tell you, I retorted. I went with them under the delusion that I'd grow stronger as a trainer and that's happened. But because of how I became stronger in battle, they also gave me the skill to screw them over and get away with it.

"then what the hell do you think you're-?" he tried to say, but Explotaro got up and Blaziken grabbed Gold's Shoulder.

_Gold, was it?_ Alakazam joined the conversation. _I can understand how you won't trust Eric, So take it upon my word, then. Eric isn't lying that he was delusional about growing stronger as a trainer, he mean it. Every day after we've stolen a large amount of pokemon, he always tried to make-up more positive alternatives, like they were sold to other Trainers on the black market or traded for more valuable or powerful Pokémon._

Gold looked at Alakazam, then at me, and shook his head. "you went with Team Rocket for two years because of THAT! If that's true, what kind of chance do you have in winning back the people you hurt? You're hopeless!"

"Hey!" Riolu protested. "Ewic is a good puuson! You take dat back!"

"Riolu, it's fine." I said.

He looked at me in a hurtful confusion. "But...!"

I smiled at him and nodded. "Everyone has their own opinion, Riolu. A bad opinion isn't worth getting defensive about, cause it can help if you listen so various criticism." I turned to Gold and looked him straight in the eyes, not even needing telepathy to see the great deal of mistrust in his expression. "And maybe you're right, perhaps I can't fix all the problems that I made in the first place. But I will promise that I'll do what I can to make it up to them someday. But right now, I plan to do something that will get me started until I feel strong enough to live up to my promise."

"...and what would that be, exactly?"

I closed my eyes, envisioning the entire event playing out if everything worked right. "keep an eye on the news, should I launch my plot, you'll see it there."

"it better be something good." Gold turned toward the door, "C'mon, Explotaro."

Explotaro was preoccupied once again in socializing with Riolu and Marshtomp to get it right away, he repeated himself and he got up and followed him out.

I played my imagined scenario in my head over a couple of times. I begin with a mild trigger, getting the attention of a select few I progress to create my safety measures, the next day, set off a sudden and severe trigger, provoking the enemy before I hit them where it hurts. It felt like a sweet taste just inching away from my tongue, all I had to do was put it in action and I'll finally relish it I just need to put it in action

_Eric _Alakazam's voice rang in my head._ Do you really want it that badly?_

I didn't answer, the thought still lingered in my mind.

_Eric, why? _He continued. _Why do you want to pay them back like this?_

The question didn't provoke a response, but it did cause me to find justifications for the plan ahead. A mild buzzing pervaded my mind, but I ignored it...

"Eric, Answer me!" Alakazam shouted, "Why do you make a plan with intent on enjoying the revenge being made!"

"uh?" I snapped out of my thoughts like I was suddenly waking up from a dream. I looked back and turned to find Alakazam with a confrontational anger in his eyes, while the rest of my pokemon partners stared at me in worry.

I glanced Alakazam in the eyes, not quite understanding what he meant but then he replayed my thoughts as if they were recorded in his own mind, and it dawned on me what he meant. I was looking forward to exacting revenge on Team Rocket for being used, and it lowered to the point where I might actually enjoy exacting it. But why would I enjoy getting even, what would I have to gain in it? I gave it further thought. And it turned out I had no answer not a solid one, anyways.

"I couldn't..." I finally said, answering him. "...really give a good answer."

"Ewic...?"

"it's been a long time since we've really done anything honest since Team Rocket." Alakazam said. "Maybe too long. I pick up quite a great deal of what you learn, especially in your field called 'Profiling,' and I can figure out that you've developed the sadistic mentality of Team Rocket's grunts without even realizing it."

Charizard and Marshtomp looked at Alakzam in alarm, Blaziken looked down to the ground, and Riolu looked hurt. Blaziken looked at me.

"Eric, when I think back on it, It does make sense." He said. "You remember that battle against Surge a month ago? Where you ordered the FireStorm combo attack to make an escape?"

I did remember that, and I've given quite an attitude adjustment to Surge in the process... wait, I taunted him, I looked like I was laughing back in his face after beating him. Was that really me?

"Are you beginning to understand now...?"

I paused, and tried to remember why I wanted to attack Team Rocket in the first place. They used me to steal from people and to turn their best friends into Shadow Pokémon. I intended to take revenge on them for the sake of those people that I've hurt. People I'm sure wouldn't be able to fight like I can now I didn't really want to enjoy it, but somewhere down the line, maybe my anger grew into something I something I wouldn't normally want. But no, it's no use thinking about why, all that matters is that I wanted to attack Team Rocket for the victims of my crimes, nothing more!

"I do now, sorry about that." I replied, smiling.

"So, now that your mindset is all fixed and stuff, what's the plan?" Charizard asked, breaking the melancholy feel in the room.

I looked outside, and with the sun going down, I figured it was getting late to do anything for tonight. So with our minds made up, and plenty of food to go around, we spent the rest of the night brainstorming what we ought to do after this is all over. Come time to turn in, it was decided that after I finish my business here, I head back home and try to leave Team Rocket behind.

***Ecruteak City ***

Unbeknownst to Eric Claid and his Pokémon, their conversation was being watched by the seer that is known as The Youngest One. His sisters Love and Karma have said how this human boy has had a change of heart, and upon arriving to find him awoken from dark thoughts, the idea that Pokémon can teach humans has presented itself as strange due to it never have really happened. This brought about the question as to whether this boy can truly overcome the Shadow Aura that the Dark One gives off.

"Still curious about him, Brother?" a voice spoke. Joy looked behind him and found the eldest Seer, Love, appear with a mother's expression in her eyes.

Joy didn't respond, as he now watches the boy, now fast asleep with his Pokémon alongside him. He didn't recall any of them into the round devices called Pokéballs much like many other humans have done.

"You know..." Love floated beside joy. "Truth be told, I find this young man to be rather entertaining."

"What?" Joy didn't understand. "but there isn't much that's funny about him. How could someone so serious be entertaining, Sis?"

"It's not necessarily what makes me laugh, actually." Love replied. "I admire how he treasures the friendship between him and his Pokémon..."

"I still don't understand."

"most trainers who travel alone usually manage to keep themselves entertained, sometimes when they're with their Pokémon..." Love explained. "this boy, however, treats is partner Pokémon like they would family, they do everything together, and more often than not, it's not for the sake of the Trainer teaching his Pokémon something, it's for the sake of friends simply enjoying each other's company."

"Tonight wasn't very carefree, though." Joy closed his eyes, frustrated. "he acts too differently than Lucas"

"Not all humans are the same, you know that."

The young Seer looked at his sibling eye-to-eye, upset. Love, however, glided toward the room where Eric and company lay sleeping, passing through the glass window without effort. Joy followed her, and found himself staring at the group, sleeping peacefully. It was something he's never seen before, and he could not help smiling at the heartwarming sight of the group of friends.

"Brother..." Love whispered, and she nodded her head towards something on the table. Joy looked to find a still picture of the same group. The humans called these pieces of paper photographs" , and enjoyed having them as a means of remembering a specific moment. The picture also showed them fast asleep, but they were much closer together, and the Sacred Fire symbol of Ho-oh hanging from Eric's neck.

Love took notice of Joy being attracted to the photo. "The photo was taken after Eric had a final discussion with Ho-oh." Joy explained softly. "Eric himself was still urging to settle his restless worries and guilts, but Ho-oh recognized that he has done enough now. And helped him rest. Morty, a witness to the boy's trial, felt like having that picture taken to remember his meeting with Ho-oh, and to remember the soul that the Sacred Fire has forged a pact with."

Joy glanced once more at Eric Claid, and then each of his Pokémon. Marshtomp and Riolu began smiling in their sleep, as is the effect of Joy's presence, whom will influence happier thoughts in an individual. One by one, the other Pokémon followed suit, yet Eric was then the only one of the group who didn't smile. Almost as if Joy's presence had no effect. He and love took notice, and when joy felt like Eric was rejecting the feeling, Love understood that it wasn't the case.

"He can feel your presence, little brother." Love reassured him."He just remains guilt-ridden for his past choices."

"Why?" joy didn't understand. "Shouldn't there be a time where you should forget what you did and be happy?"

"He wishes he could forget." Love explained grimly. "But his choices have hurt other people, and he remembers the expressions of the Trainers. If he wanted to be happy, he would have to make those people happy, too and making more than a hundred people happy with no special influence is no easy task for a human, especially one whose hurt those hundred to start with."

Joy felt bad for the young Claid. "will he ever be happy?"

"Of course!" Love giggled. "he just needs to settle what is bothering him, that's all."

Joy didn't avert his gaze from Eric Claid himself. Something about him seems familiar, like he reminds him of something but he dismissed it.

"Come, Joy, I believe it's high time we left." Love said. "Karma's made a deal with Eric, and it's best that we help her when it happens."

Joy took one last look at the photograph, hoping that perhaps his friends could also see it. In the end, though, it'll likely be only the one named Lucas who will see it in his mind. Afterwards, the two Seers phased through the window, and back to where their friends are.

***ERIC***

I awoke once again to the smell of food being cooked, and it turns out that apparently, my partners woke up a little earlier than I did. Unlike before, however, I didn't wake up feeling sore like the time I was saved by my Pokémon and a cliché. Instead, I just felt like I was waking up too early, and why I smell food this early is beyond me.

"mmmmgggh." I groaned, my face in my pillow. "Whuu fo earrwuu...?"

"wazzat, I didn't quite catch that." Marshtomp teased.

I turned over and yawned, groaning again. Why so early...?

"Early?" Marshtomp questioned. "I looked at the bed-side digital clock, and stared at the 8:22 AM showing on it I guess it's about that time I get up, despite sleeping in an hour.

I got out of bed, walked toward the kitchen yawning loudly. It turns out that Alakazam was talking to Riolu about cooking, whether he was teaching him or not, I hardly cared at the immediate moment. What got me confused was the strangely positive mood they were in

"Umm, sorry to be Johnny Raincloud here, but what's gotten into guys?" I asked.

"uh?" Riolu turned his head my direction. He smiled big upon seeing me. "Good Muuning, Ewic!"

"Morning, Riolu." I replied. I turned my gaze to Alakazam. "I'm assuming I'm to know WHY you two and Marshtomp feel in so good a mood this morning?"

"it wasn't just us..." he replied. "while you were still sleeping, each of us woke up from what seemed to be a very pleasant dream last night. And it's caused us to be thinking fairly positive. It's worn off on me for the most part, but it make everyone else feel very silly."

Well that's weird... going to sleep trying to get rested up from the day's brainstorming, only wake up suddenly feeling idiot GIDDY (lucky). I'd really like to have that feeling when this is all over, but I'd have to figure out what caused it first, which I'll do another time.

Alakazam served up breakfast of simple ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches along with berry smoothies. Charizard was served up the super SUPER sized edition as the result of his huge appetite, which made me wonder how the _hell_ Alakazam was able to make it. I went to the register and learned it was paid for by multiple anonymous patrons, which rather threw me for a loop when processing it all. I did my best to ask the man to relay the message to the donators for me without feeling too awkward about it, and set my sights on Saffron City in Kanto.

***UNKOWN LOCATION***

Silvershade was not surprised about the turn of events surrounding his original acquiring the Sacred Fire, nor was he surprised that he learned through his partner of the one thing that would set him off. This didn't stop him from being aggravated with it, however, since he now has the potential to be a very dangerous threat to him.

It didn't matter, though, because to his pleasure, the gradual corruption of Team Rocket was proceeding smoothly. More and more of the lesser members have sworn allegiance with the dark one, and it's gotten so powerful it's even affected two of the higher commanding agents. Those who remain, however, have been living in fear. The fledgling shadows still have difficulty restraining their disappointment., and should the boy choose to attack, it will no doubt grab the attention of the public.

"Master Silvershade!" a voice called from behind. "Eric Claid has left Ecruteak City and is headed for the Kanto Region."

Silvershade barely looked, and instead identified the scout as a Dark Ninjask, a copy of the Ninjask that Eric had battled on the Ferry.

"Why are you here telling me?" Silvershade wondered. "Doesn't your puppet have another messenger?"

"pardon the confusion, Master." The Ninjask apologized. "the puppet you sent uses me and another interchangeably. One of us as the scout, the other as the—"

***PHVVMMM***

The Ninjask didn't finish when Silvershade slashed it with a psychic blade. The dark copy disappeared, and another appeared behind it. The Pokémon's shadow aura was recognized as Shedinja, a Pokémon Silvershade currently uses as his own messengers.

"Awaiting commands, Master." The dark Pokemon said, almost monotonous.

"Go to Olivine City and inform our scout puppet that if she doesn't get her act together, that she'll find herself with a couple targets of interest to kill." Silvershade commanded. "Also remind her to not limit amount of Shadows if she wants any hope of staying on Eric Claid's trail. The boy may seem like an easy target. But he's not lacking in intelligence or ability. Do not attempt to capture unless you wish to die."

"understood, I will relay the message immediately, Master." The Shedinja said, and flew off to carry out its task.

Silvershade looked outside into a city, sitting beside a port. "I expect those three to be arriving soon." Silvershade said, his mind wandering for only a second. "as for you, Claid I suppose how do you humans say it 'The game is afoot'."

***Eric***

We flew past the Tohjo Falls as we were en-route to Saffron City, but in trying to preserve Charizard's stamina after a bit of a lengthy flight so far, I suggested we land near Lavendar Town. In the time I gained my pendant here a year and a half ago, the town itself has changed quite a bit. Next to the Pokémon Tower was the Kanto Radio tower, whose ground floor seemed to have been plastered in what seemed like spirit repellant tags. A couple of residents stole a glance at me as Charizard landed, one of them looked like he recognized me and speed walked away, trying not to look too scared. I recalled Charizard and brought out Riolu, Blaziken and Alakazam, and began walking toward the Pokémon Tower.

"Whea aww we, Ewic?" Riolu asked. Climbing up and sitting on my shoulders, his paws wrapped above my forehead.

"This is Lavendar Town." I answered. "This is often referred to as a resting place for Pokémon who pass on."

"I remember coming here before... that was the day you acquired your pendant." Alakazam said. "I presume this isn't just a rest stop."

I didn't need to answer. Alakazam was the only one who was present when I got the pendant. Granted, I was distracted, and hadn't realized it until after I had the Cubone run. That was a year and a half ago, though, and after all this it's a wonder how it started with a curious young man and the Ghost of Marowak . I thought about that, and found it rather funny how the ghost said it was the father whereas most people figure it's the mother. I wondered about the argument in difference between the mother and father Marowak it's a proven fact that a Cubone will wear the skull of their mother, but people debate it's a comparison between thickness and density as to where the bone weapon comes from. It was then did it occur to me. _Wasn't density another way of mentioning thickness?_ Heh, the wonders of scientific vocabulary and the average Joe. Not that it's any business of mine, it sounded like gibberish to me anyways.

We wandered through the Pokémon tower, Riolu feeling uneasy. Alakazam told the story of what happened back then to Blaziken and Riolu, with Riolu asking questions while I was glancing at some of the graves, looking for one in particular. We trekked a little more and I finally managed to find the small gravestone set for the Marowak. I knelt down began paying my respects, and almost as if he were an old friend, I felt like saying something.

"Hello there." I said. "It's been more than a year since I last been here, and quite a bit has changed since then. I've grown as a Pokémon Trainer and I've had my eyes opened to quite a bit that I've shut out without thinking." I felt the pendant resonating, but while it felt like fire was coming out of it, but it felt more like a heat wave.

_ "You really have changed, young man..." _ a familiar voice spoke with an echo. Riolu jolted and tightened his hold around my forehead.

"It's okay, Riolu. I know him." I assured him, and he loosened his grip, but still trembling. I looked up and sure enough, the Ghost of Marowak faded into view.

"Hey there, Marowak." I pulled out the pendant and he smiled as he looked me in the eyes. Joy filled his expression, and brief flashes of memory revealed that he was given watch over the pendant a while after he died.

_ "I'm glad my hopes that you would gain Ho-oh's blessings were seen through." _ He said. _ "I also appreciate your visit, it brings me peace to know you have grown to quite the young man. I'm confident you'll make a great leade..." _

_Hold the phone, what was that?_

"Leader?"

_ "He must not have told you..." _ he said, sizing me up. _ "ah, the Fire is still young. It still needs time to grow."_

"'The Fire is still young?' what are you-" I stopped and breathed deep. _Okay, don't get upset, all in due time_... "W-What do you mean by this?"

Marowak smiled in a bit of an unusual matter that I'd recognize. The expression felt like that of a wise elder teaching something important. _ "The Sacred Fire you possess embodies that of your innermost emotions." _ He said. _ "Anytime a particular emotion you feel is genuinely strong enough, the Fire emanates that to others. These emotions are how you truly feel, and the effects of your Sacred Fire will depend on these emotions. Love, Compassion, Rage, Hate these four emotions are the primary traits of Ho-oh's truest feelings."_

"Love, Compassion... I repeated, thinking up possible effects they could translate to. "Rage, and Hatred..."

_ "Beware of what you hate, because the Sacred Fire is at its greatest instability." _Marowak said, his expression solemn. _ "To have great amounts of rage is to bring about the Fire's more powerful strength, but to truly hate something can bring about a loss of control. Both in the Fire and in yourself."_

"A Loss of control...?" the idea unnerved me, despite my somehow feeling familiar with it.

"It happened when you were taking Ho-oh's final test." Blaziken said, causing me to remember who was present. I reached out to Riolu's mind, and it seems he wasn't afraid anymore in fact, rather spellbound, actually.

Now I know two of the effects... "what of the other two?"

_ "I believe that's something I can't explain, young Eric." _Marowak shook his head, but he simply smiled again. I smiled softly and slightly nodded.

"huuhhh?" Riolu protested. "Why not?"

Marowak and I glanced at each other, and Marowak found the confusion amusing.

"Because love and compassion are two emotions better learned through experience." I explained. "the Sacred Fire responds to these emotions, but it's easier to understand through feeling it."

"weally...?"

"What I don't understand, though..." I continued, a thought still lingering. "Is what you meant earlier about me being a great leader."

Marowak closed his eyes, his smile feeling more sympathetic.

_ "It's been said that a human is set to lead the world in a better direction..." _Marowak said. _ "Powers beyond that of even Ho-oh has chosen this human, and it's foretold that they will command their allies against an evil that threatens the world."_

I stood there with a blank face. _Did I just hear one of THE MOST overused paragraphs in literary prophecies being said as if it was real? I don't know who told Marowak, but apparently whoever told him wasn't aware that choice of words has been OVERUSED to DEATH AND BEYOND!_

Marowak laughed at my expression. "_ I see that choice of words has gotten fairly old, hasn't it?" _wow, he's practically read my mind... can the dead even DO that, or was that just a lucky guess? _ "Truthfully, however, beware of the Dark One. His capability to control others is stronger than even the ordinary hypnosis. Most who even begin to accept the Shadow Aura near him, it'll be enough for him to steal your control."_

_Thanks for the errie thought instant mind control, just start saying "yes"._

"Most..." I noted the choice of words. "Soo, I'm an exception?"

_ "the Sacred Fire strengthens your resistance, so if you fight it, you can dispel it."_

I paused for a minute, and felt satisfied with my new knowledge. "It's funny how I learn a lot just from wanting to pay my respects." I said, Marowak found it amusing. I smiled, feeling rather warm inside. I lifted Riolu down and motioned for everyone to join me, before bringing my hands together in a prayer and closing my eyes. "thank you, Marowak, for everything you've done to bring our lives closer. May you rest in peace."

"Rest in Peace..." everyone else repeated the last part, Marowak chuckled as if he were choked up

_ "And I thank you, Trainer Eric Claid and company, for coming to visit one last time_." He replied softly_. "I wish for good fortune to come your way when you need it the most... farewel..." _

A small breeze blew through us, and I opened my eyes to find a small charm bracelet on top of a bouquet of flowers. the charm was made of thread and bone, and it seemed to have been made by hand.

"Hey... You're..." I looked to my right, and a different Marowak stood looking at us. "You're that Trainer from a while ago."

"Hm?" I looked at the bone, and sure enough, it was lined with small bits of silver. This must have been the Cubone I met last time I was here. He sure has grown since then, even evolving during that time

"Yer... not with those bad men, are you?" Marowak asked. I shook my head.

Riolu walked up to him, poked at his skull helmet a few times, and looked back. "He's not a ghost."

"of course he's not," I replied with a smirk. "he's a frequent visitor, Riolu."

"So, uh, What brings you here, then?" Marowak inquired.

"I was paying my respects." I took out my pendant and revealed it to him. "I wished to thank him for what he gave me through this."

Marowak recognized the pendant, and looked at me with a hint of wonder. "I remember you getting in trouble for helping me keep my bone... but now I see why you seem so different."

I nodded, understanding exactly how he feels. Despite this, my visit here was merely a detour, though I had business to deal with.

"Well, I'm sorry for cutting this short, but I've got a few personal things I need to deal with." I said, apparently prompting Riolu to have me lift him onto my shoulders again.

"goodbye, Eric Claid, and good luck!" Marowak called... _how the HELL did he get my name?_

I brought out Charizard, who was rested up and ready to go, when we got outside the Tower. I recalled the others until Riolu and I got on Charizard, and we flew off to Saffron City.

We got to the city within a few minutes thanks to the bird's eye view helping me keep track of our direction. I reached my destination with Blaziken and Riolu accompanying me, and we met the seller at the Black market.

"Alright... Here's your package, kid." The guy said. I paid for the package, and double checked it to make sure I was getting what I ordered. The guy's brain proved he made them all himself by hand, so he knows they work. He counted the money I paid him and he looked at me funny.

"y'know, as happy as I find all this dough in making your order, dude..." he said. "you realize it would have been cheaper to just take a whole lot of Electrode, Voltorb, Forretress, and the like right?"

I put the package down carefully and nodded. "because, Pokémon can be drawn to things they like. These things don't and I need something like that to accomplish what I have planned."

if you say so the guy looked at me observantly. "Hey you're that Claid kid, right?"

I looked up from the package, and then at him. "did I become famous or something?"

"You're quite the criminal, kid. He said authorities have given you the name of 'the Rocket Kid', the young trainer from Team Rocket that either sneaks away undetected, or destroys all that get in his way."

I paused for a few minutes. "Pretty soon, I'll prefer to be known as 'Phoenix, the Rocket Rogue.'"

"Pardon? 'Phoenix, the Rocket Rogue?'" he looked at the package, and then at me in realization. "Wait, is that why you want these BoAAAGH!" I lifted him up with Psychic before he could finish, and I looked around, spotting two grunts with a sound amplifier.

"okay, you listen, and you listen good." I said vocally, saying a false plan of setting up an independent mission I intended to do alone. I let him go, and revealed my intentions mentally.

_There are two Rocket grunts to our left just past the empty barber shop. I intend for these to give Team Rocket a rude awakening for using me for their own reasons. They lied to me, and they took advantage of it, so I'm giving them payback._

I checked the left hallway to make sure the grunts weren't there. I checked the right to make sure I didn't miss anything. With only us in the empty hallway, I quickly apologized for the psychic lift and we left with the package toward the nearest hotel.

Oh, by the way, do not ask me how I got this package into the hotel while AVOIDING INSPECTION I will explain everything SOON how soon? VERY SOON!


	47. Chapter 46: Phoenix's Rally

Chapter 46: Phoenix's Rally

The next day we flew for Viridian City once we managed once Alakazam and I secured the package. I found us a place to stay and decided against grabbing all of my stuff… what I DID get, though, was a stash of pick-pocketed money I've hid away. I got on my PC and made sure to write all the information on all my subscriptions and information from it before formatting. It was when I finished my business here did I hear a couple of knocks on my door.

"Heyyy, welcome back, kid." I turned around and found a trio of men standing at the doorway. They were all obviously grunts, and they had sadistic (almost borderline psychotic… with restraint) looks on their faces.

"You realize I do _not_ appreciate the looks on your faces." I crossed my arms and leered at them. "What do you three want?"

"Just to taalk, kid." They took my notice and toned down the expressions, but their reddish eyes and their excited expressions gave too much away. "I'm sure you've yet to hear the news, but they discovered this really cool vitamin that can make your Pokémon stronger in minutes! You interested?"

I knew exactly what they meant. _Shadow Aura_. "what's the vitamin called, and who discovered it?"

"dunno what it's called, but I was told some of the docs tested it and it worked wonders! Turned our Pokémon into these awesome Shadow Pokémon."

"No!" I said immediately. "Forget it. Shadow Pokémon can kiss my ass!"

"Whad you say, kid?" Crony #2, from the left side of the door stepped forward, and snatched my shirt collar, offended.

The trio began to close in, and I took a deep breath. "I said…"

Within seconds, I headbutted Crony #2 and shoved a dual punch in his gut. Crony #1 and the head grunt grabbed each of my shoulders, I hooked my elbows around them, and used Crony #2 to flip over and swing the two Grunts against each other and chopping their stomachs, stunning them. I ended it by karate chopping the Leader on the left at the temple (he crumpled), swinging a kick backward at Crony #1's chin (he got knocked backwards), and finally jump kicking Crony #2 through the doorway and into the hall.

"…Shadow Pokémon can Kiss. My. Ass."

I looked at each grunt, confirming that they're down for the count. I was on my way out the door… except I found a stupefied Kevin standing there, bewildered at the scene.

"Holy Shit…" Kevin forced out of his mouth. "when were you able to do _that_?"

We walked over to the Usual spot, and over the course of the trip, it turns out the hierarchy seems to have gotten compacted… Now, "Admin" and "Executive" are used interchangeably, now referring to the same thing. As we passed some of the grunts, I spotted them following, I made sure we passed the usual spot, taking note of what I saw through the small window, and while Kevin was very close to running, I kept him calm until the grunts began to charge. Kevin shot off down a couple of hallways. And I chased after him, he stopped in front of another group of grunts, who were beginning to assault him.

"Hey!" I shouted "Save that for the Rogue!"

The grunts all stopped and looked at me. "What, you honestly believe there's a traitor among us?"

"oh yeah, and this traitor came back here awhile ago. I recently returned in pursuit." I said, keeping the identity of the "Rogue" as anonymous as possible. "Now get your fucking hands off the boy and get outta here!"

The Grunt holding Kevin looked at a buddy and then back at me. "and if we don't feel like it…"

"Then I'll have to make you."

"with what," the grunt scoffed at me. "your plain Pokémon wouldn't stand a Chance against our Shadow Pokémon."

"now who said that I'd need my partners against cowards like you?" I cocked an eyebrow.

I heard a Grunt behind me step forward on my right. Kevin only managed to call my name in panic before I reacted. Time felt like it slowed down as I heard another step behind me, my left hand clutched my right as I stepped back, ducking slightly to avoid a hook as well as drive my elbow into the gut. I stepped forward, quickly delivering an uppercut to another charging grunt, and whirled a roundhouse kick at the chest, knocking him into his buddies. The fight began escalating, and I focused for a second before commanding "Barrier". A somewhat large bubble of energy formed quickly and the Grunts rammed into it, a couple face-first. Kevin began snickering as I smirked at them knocking on it in confusion.

I pictured a couple holes being poked through it, and finger sized openings revealed themselves where I imagined.

"Oh yeah, I can do this now." I glared at them slightly, just enough to suggest how serious I am. "And I learned this and more from my partners. So unless you want shit to get very _ugly_, I suggest you get the fuck out of my sight! NOW!"

The grunts began to disperse, and I focused on the usual spot to teleport both Kevin and I there. The next second we were where I envisioned, and I staved off a headache from the strain for a few seconds before looking at who was present.

Truth be told, there wasn't very many left… with Syrus being gone, it was currently Daniel and his sister Sam, as well as Kevin and Mike. The secondary mess hall definitely felt a lot emptier than last time, and it was no longer than a month.

The Door opened to the kitchen, and the next thing that happened was a sudden yell and a pair of arms wrapped around my throat. Instinctively, I swung my head back, striking another's nose, struck with my left elbow, and backhanded with the same arm turning around. The attacker in question was Domino, her nose bleeding from my head smashing her it. I sighed, and with Alakazam's help, focused the move Recover as if I were someone else, and it healed her nose quickly. Apparently she had a handkerchief handy to wipe off the blood from her face.

"And here I thought I said 'No Anchovies'." I spouted. "What in the hell are you-."

"Eric, it's fine." Kevin interrupted. I leered at Domino with great suspicion as Kevin explained why she was here. Apparently if you didn't like or care for Shadow Pokémon at all, then the Shadow Grunts would attack you. Domino was recognized for not using Pokémon, and while this comes in handy with spying, it's a disadvantage against skilled Trainers. She expressed she didn't need Shadow Pokémon and they came after her in droves. Kevin managed to fight them off long enough to escape, but Domino never let go of it, and as such had apparently grown slightly paranoid since.

"Damn… When did you learn to fight?" she asked. "You're not that obnoxious little brat anymore, that's for sure."

"Shit's happened in the past week lately." I responded. "it's really not surprising how much I've changed, you just have no idea what I've been through."

I sent out my partners to get reacquainted with everyone, and in the process introduced Riolu to them. His welcome was very warm (and he enjoyed everyone's being so nice), especially with Sam, who thought he was downright adorable. Meanwhile, I brought Alakazam and Blaziken aside and asked them to get the package from the room and Alakazam teleported them outside.

"So, how'd you meet this little guy?" Sam said, hugging Riolu. "he's so CUTE!"

"Well…" I actually met him when he was exploring the ferry." I began." I woke up to find him munching on Marshtomp's snacks and my wanting to meet him scared him a bit at first." I proceeded to explain everything that happened while I was waiting on Blaziken and Alakazam. By the time I finally finished Alakazam teleported back with Blaziken holding the package and a small black backpack on top. Setting it down slowly as not to damage them or even trigger them.

"Ehh, Eric…" Sam inquired shakily. "What's in that box?"

"the first stage of what's going to happen tomorrow." I said grimly, I opened the box to reveal the contents to the group. A fifteen pound box of plastic explosives, each bomb a pound each. All fifteen of them were contained in plastic wrap, thankfully very easy to unwrap, and the bombs themselves were mostly colored silver for the sake of blending in (two of them were colored a faded dark brown, but that's for a special spot). Kevin, Mike and Dan were stupefied, whereas Sam and Domino were horrified.

"What I plan to do tomorrow is going to be loud, dangerous, and not meant for you to be involved in." I warned. "all my stealing has given them enough test subjects they needed to experiment with these new Shadow Pokémon. I can't bear to imagine the amount of lives that I have destroyed."

"So what Kevin's suggesting is true…?" Sam moped. "You're really leaving… aren't you?"

"Why don't you come with me?" I suggested. "my family owns a restaurant back home in Hoenn, I could help you guys find work."

Sam looked at Kevin and Mike, then back at me. "We're… not leaving without Syrus."

_No friend left behind… damn it, Syrus._ "I promise I'll bring Syrus out of there, but I don't want you guys to join him in this…!"

"You sound like you don't have much faith in us, man." Mike said. "have some faith, we can handle it!."

"But you don't know how it feels to have that aura taking over!" I protested. "I barely avoided it a couple of times because the ones trying weren't going full force then."

"Eric. Are you telling us to leave Syrus behind?" Daniel asked.

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. There was no stopping them from staying here, and figuring how much tougher it's going to get for them just made it feel more painful. I suppose once I learn of a method to save Syrus, I'll have to come back for him. But when will I learn that method, and when I come back, will they still be the same…?

Sam looked at me softly a wave of sadness seemed to flow from somewhere else. Riolu was about as upset as I was. Unfortunately, what Sam saw wasn't someone sad about leaving his friends behind…

It was someone scared for his friends' well-being in a developing hell like this.

"Hey, promise us that you'll come back when you're strong enough…" she said. "And we'll promise to be here waiting, okay?"

I looked at my partners, Riolu, Marshtomp, and Blaziken were feeling as upset as I was; Charizard and Alakazam, however, were solemn about it, as if they figured it was inevitable. I looked back at Sam, and she and everyone at Club were smiling back at me. Each face imprinted on my mind as friends that I will come back for someday.

"O-okay…" I said shakily. "I p-promise…" I couldn't stop worry about them, though. "Bu-but Please…stay here tomorrow, don't try to watch this firsthand, just rely on the news for it…"

"Good luck, Phoenix!" Kevin said, and they nodded in agreement. I took one more look at them, and I had difficulty smiling. _You had better keep your promises, because it might be a while before II come back._

I left the usual spot via teleporting past the door and proceeded to planting a bomb at each of the doors of the three grunts I knocked out. I had to work very fast because the headquarters and the small private apartment deserted for only an hour while it was lunchtime, but with Alakazam restocking the backpack when I ran out, planting them got a little speed. Among the locations were my initial mail space along with a couple that had the number 13 on it (for those with a thing for superstition), three cages that hold Giovanni's stronger stolen Pokémon, the mess hall kitchen as well as all the executive's mailboxes (except mine, with intent to give a hint). In total, that used up nine of the fifteen explosives. I returned to my room and dressed up in Grunt's uniform. Because I was in my late teens, I happen to be tall enough to easily be mistaken for a Rocket grunt, who are so numerous they hardly bother with names.

I then set out for the Research and Development labs. From what I've heard, they used to perform genetic experiments with Pokémon at one point, and while they still do that, it's not as common and typically more of a spare time kind of thing. I planted three bombs underneath the lab equipment, one at each table's underside. I looked at a door that had VOLATILE EQUIPMENT in bold white lettering on it. This room was electronically locked, so an scientist would need ID in order to enter, such as the one I took was from some high authority white-coat whose last name was Sanders. An unrelated tidbit I found from a little poking around turns out he also monitored my health after I got attacked in Celadon City.

I scanned the card through the reader, opening the door. When I entered and checked carefully to see if the place was empty, I took a veeery good look at the machinery in front of me. The overall design is a lot like a conveyor belt, Pokéballs were lying in an even pattern and pass by what seems to be a sort of energy distribution. Just getting near it could easily tell me that it was probably that Shadow Aura, I resisted the urge to place all three bombs on the device as the last two were meant for something else, but I instead unplugged the machine, and deactivated the silent alarm quickly. I also opened it up and took a medium sized computer chip from the machine, hoping it would keep it off for awhile, and placed a bomb on the purple glowing energy device.

I left the lab and tipped over a couple of random vials of liquid before teleporting off to the Boss's office. I reappeared outside of the door and knocked twice to make sure Giovanni wasn't around. A couple of silent pauses and I opened the door to find nobody there. Giovanni usually spend his time in his office, but it seemed I didn't have to worry about a fight after all. I planted the final two bombs in the back of the lowest left and right drawers, left the office, and set off for my final destination in this headquarters. The surveillance room wasn't too hard to find, given that I always snuck in there and deleted what the cameras saw of me when I plucked out some files for light reading (getting a decent book to read grew tougher to find with the lack of any good stories lately). In fact, I felt rather pleased that I found someone there… about two woman and a man, all in lab coats, sitting at the monitors. The guy turned and his glasses jumped for a second before he suddenly got pissed off.

"Hey! What are YOU doing here?" the unknown man demanded. Brown hair (a bit of a mullet, actually), kind of a boney looking face. "You know grunts aren't allowed in here!"

I lowered my hat a little further over my eyes, I didn't feel interested in dealing with their Pokémon. I focused Psychic to grab the women's heads and bonked them against each other, just enough to knock them out. The man charged at me when I knocked out the women, and a punch in the gut, an uppercut on the chin, then a roundhouse and ax kick took him down. The girls should have headaches, but the guy might likely have a concussion.

"I'm not stupid." I said, approaching the monitors and erasing footage of me. "A Pokémon battle would bring in too much attention."

I typed a note on the monitor and sent a copy to Giovanni, and with my business done and confidence that nobody will find the bombs before it's too late, I Teleported back to my room, grabbed my clothes and admin uniform and left for the hotel.

Upon returning to the hotel I checked the time, and figured that it would likely be best to ensure this gets on the news. I looked in the phone book for the news station in Kanto, found the number called it, waiting until the receptionist answered.

"Hello, I would like to make an anonymous tip about a major event about to occur." I said. "There's going to be an attack on an underground facility of the organization known as Team Rocket. I can't give the details without fear of something left out, so I'd like to know if there are any reporters available."

"Umm…L-let me check on that." The receptionist was obviously not used to such a request, I remained on the line for a few minutes and the receptionist returned. "I'm sorry, sir, but we've been a little preoccupied for the most part and many of our reporters are out in Johto. We do happen to have visiting reporter Gabby of Hoenn, though, if that's not too much trouble."

Gabby! I know her, she and her cameraman Ty were some of the better known news crews back home in Hoenn, loads of people love them.

"Really? Gabby of Hoenn happens to be visiting?" I said enthusiastically. "Is she available right now?"

"I'll go check, be right back."

I tried to plan out how I'm going to talk to her; my first thoughts were to see if she remembers me, however, knowing the news business, she'll want the tip first. Truth be told, I've actually got to know her and Ty. One of her news stories featured my family's restaurant, and she threw my dad off guard and won a discount on her meal in a Battle challenge. They were very great people to be with, and it made great advertising for the restaurant. I even enjoyed a moment on TV with us being featured as "a family restaurant worth checking out when you stop by Lavaridge town."

"This is Gabby. You said something about a tip on Team Rocket?"

"Ah, Y-yes Ma'am." My thoughts were interrupted with Gabby herself answering the phone, I regained my posture quickly.

"Alright, I'm listening." Alright, now I'm good to go.

"Okay, little does most of the public realize, but there is an underground facility for Team Rocket, the region's criminal organization." I explained. "I know of a plot going on about the creation of Shadow Pokémon, Pokémon forcefully and painfully brainwashed into that of obedient slaves that will do whatever their Trainer commands, even if it kills others or risks its own life."

"Is that so…?" Gabby inquired, muttering as she's likely taking notes. "And you said something about a 'major event'?"

"Yes ma'am." I acknowledged. "I've information that the realization of such a plot did not sit well with a particular member of Team Rocket. This member is of executive ranking and has quickly decided to turn rogue against Team Rocket in retaliation for this change. The attack takes place tomorrow and the rogue intends to make this news perfectly clear to them in Viridian Gym."

"Hmm… there are two things that concern me about this story." Gabby said, understandably skeptical. "First of all, this is all meant to be merely a tip. But given how very interesting this is, it seems a little far-fetched. Secondly, you speak about the rogue's actions in quite a bit of detail, how did you get such information?"

"To answer your second question, I know the Rogue's action in great details… because I… well…l happen to _be_ that rogue." I confessed, likely guessing that this would be recorded. "I'm familiar enough with this organization to have planted small explosives among its key areas, and I intend to show them up in Viridian Gym."

"What? You planted-… what else should I know?" the detail regarding explosives took the cake.

"I also intend to say that the upcoming battle I intend to cause is going to be very dangerous." I said. "There are a couple of cameras in the Viridian Gym that normally only the gym leader knows of. I can send you a means to hack into those cameras to get footage of the battle-to-be."

"Okay, I'll definitely be sure to follow them…" I heard a click in the background, meaning I was no longer recorded. "Oh, and also…" I heard faint footsteps at a constant volume, she must be headed somewhere. "The Receptionist noted you were rather enthusiastic of hearing I was around, and now that I think about it, you _do_ sound rather familiar."

I smiled brightly. "it sure has been awhile since that feature story back home at Lavaridge, I still remember saying 'hi' to Ty when he saw me cooking for the Pokémon."

Gabby gasped. "Wait, You're that Eric Claid kid… and you're in-?" Gabby was easily thrown for a loop at the realization, but she, like me a minute before, regained her posture quickly. "W-what have you been doing working with criminals? You were such a good kid."

"And despite my working with them, I can still be that kid." I said. "The only thing I see different about this is that I'm not only a much more capable battler, but perfectly able to show them how I feel about being used like this."

"How would your parents feel if they saw this evidence?"

I paused for a second before answering. "Then I'll explain how I've been lied to." I thought about how this was going to end, and breathed deep before continuing. "I suppose this is no longer an 'anonymous tip'. However, for the sake of the possibility that word spreads back home, I'd like to be known as 'Phoenix.'"

"Be… careful, Eric." Gabby said, her voice obviously very worried.

"I will…" I promised. "And perhaps to make it up, perhaps when I get back home and you two happen to be in town, the next meal is on me for both you and Ty."

"Alright, and I'll hold you to that!" she said. "Good luck, Eric. We'll be watching."

We hung up, and I immediately took out my PDA and sent the computer password to the address that was underneath the phone number. I encrypted it with the password for Gabby, leaving the hint to my nickname as the keyword in the message.

At that point, I sat down on the bed and called everyone out. I explained the plan to my partners and made absolutely clear to Riolu that this was going to be very scary. He surprised me in saying that he was not going to be scared at it, and made me promise I'll be okay after this.

With a little intent at spending the rest of the day escaping any possible insanity or unneeded stress, I brought out everyone and asked for suggestions on what we ought to do… in the end, we spent the rest of the night watching a few movies, and Riolu especially enjoyed the comedies and action films. The last two movies we watched were "The Matrix" and "Spaceballs" and while he looked at the former's special effects in awe, he fell asleep quickly after laughing pretty hard at the latter (which I showed the TV-edition to better portray the Assholes part, where they were called "Morons" instead, though I quoted most of what else was censored or replaced). I did my best to remember how we felt about this… because despite the fact that what I've gone through.

One-by-one, we found ourselves falling asleep, and I watched everyone turn in, Charizard going back to his Pokéballs; Riolu, Marshtomp, and Blaziken conking out on the second bed. I couldn't help thinking about that Lucas kid and his friends. They definitely have quite the sense of pride in themselves, but when I thought back on the conversations between Platinum and I, it occurred to me that very pride caused her to get carried away. I figured out that the talk was from this TV show called "Dragonball Z", something I grew a little tired of because the plot moved so slowly. I thought back on that Tyson kid, and wondered how long it'll be until he and Platinum reconcile. But above all… I wondered what would happen next after all this.

_I know we talked about going home after this…_ I thought_. But I still can't seem to shake off a feeling like something bigger will happen soon. Hell, I never felt so amazed when I was able to jump as high as Blaziken. Perhaps I can learn more about what it's like to be a Pokémon through this unison ability._

I kept thinking about what I ought to do after this, and hardly realized that I soon passed out afterward.

***VIRIDIAN CITY***

The shadow had been watching Eric Claid from the doorway until he fell asleep. The boy was very levelheaded about what was currently happening, treasures his friends like he would a brother, and despite his intent to hide it from many, he's revealed to give a great deal of remorse for what he's done.

He wondered how long it's been since he went into hiding, it all began when he wanted to avoid waiting on something. He still didn't understand why his father would condemn him simply for using his power to save time in waiting for food. He understood that he had to eat to live, but what did it mean to "give and take"?

_This boy… _the shadow thought, _he reminds me of Love… every other human I've observed seemed to do something malicious, or they become very sad. But he… he finds the urge to want to enjoy time with his friends, and later think about himself and what's happened to him. Love was like that too… She always enjoyed my company, and I can feel the same way… not mean or sad like what the others feel…_

The shadow began feeling something different from the one named Eric Claid… he seemed to have awakened, and began to shiver. He sensed the shadow's presence, but found it to be different than the evil monsters he's fought with before.

_What… what's this feeling…?_ Eric thought, his mind observed by the shadow. _It's like something's making me feel all pessimistic somehow…"_

He looked at his three Pokémon friends, sleeping peacefully, paused, then looked directly at the shadow. _You… at the door, _the shadow was surprised, Eric had found him! _I can tell you're not a threat. But there's something about you that I have difficulty shaking off. Who are you?_

The Shadow opened the door _I'm…_ something about Eric stopped him. Something familiar._ I'm… _he still had trouble introducing himself… but Eric's thoughts helped him.

…_an observer… _he finished.

_Y-yes, that's right. _The Shadow responded. _I'll usually don't intend to do anything wrong… but sometimes I wonder if I cause such things._

_Hmm… that does bring this feeling into question._ Eric replied, the suggestion worrying the shadow. _Perhaps it's one of those things you can't control, I've heard a strong influence can have an effect on another, but I have yet to see that work in more ways than one…_ Eric picked something up from the table beside his bed and a light suddenly shone before his face_. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I need to get more rest. I've…got something planned tomorrow, and I need to be very alert to make sure it's done right. Good night… whoever you are._ He placed the item down and turned over, closing his eyes and eventually fell asleep again.

The Shadow closed the door completely and teleported silently to a tall building's roof. Eric might not have realized it right away, but the Shadow is well aware of the attack he plots on Team Rocket. And thanks to his assistance elsewhere, Eric will be in a better state of mind on finding out who will be watching him.

"Love…" he muttered in a voice slightly higher pitched to that of Eric's. "When I find the one that can truly help me… I promise to set things right." The shadow built up a black oval of energy that humans would see as a "portal", stepped in, and used the energy to disappear into thin air.

***ERIC***

I woke up late once more, but it wasn't too surprising since talking to that strange stalker character of sorts. I didn't have that pessimistic wave over me either, so that was good. In fact, everything was fine and dandy… until I found Karma staring at me from the foot of the bed.

"UWAH! When did you get here?" I demanded. Karma frowned at me and ignored what I said (which struck me as strange, based on her normally silly attitude).

"Platinum-chan and company are wondering when it's time." Karma said vocally, I glanced at Blaziken and crew, and she added "Only you can hear me right now, since I'm trying to conserve my strength…"

"Oh…well, that's a good coincidence, because I was about to go over the plan with my team again," I replied. "Where are they?"

"They just woken up from last night's event." Karma proceeded to give me the cliff-notes version of what happened while I got dressed under the covers (for my personal dignity, if anything). In the middle of it, I caught her omitting something from me regarding someone who helped Tyson before Lucas and Pearl found him. It was clear she wanted to keep that secret, but given the current situation at hand, I wouldn't matter anyway.

I got out of bed and put on my Pokéballs belt. Blaziken, Riolu, and Marshtomp were waking up about then, and I was surprised to find not just Riolu, but also Marshtomp quiet.

"Hey, Marshtomp, Riolu," I said, mildly getting their attention. "What's wrong?"

"Did you…" Blaziken began. "have a strange feeling go over you?"

Marshtomp briefly glanced at Blaziken, then stared into space, nodding fast. "I had a bad dream… that had Eric asking 'what if I get…'"he looked at me, and he began having trouble speaking. Tears began welling up. "'W-what if I g-get…'"

"Killed?" I finished, with him nodding. There was no questioning it, I've known Marshtomp to really enjoy his time with friends, especially when watching comedy movies. He also had mild abandonment issues, so he typically wanted to be with me as much as possible.. it would crush him if I got killed, especially when my plan calls for him being a bit distant from me for the most part.

Blaziken looked down at the floor. "in fact, I actually came across a bit of an unpleasant thought myself… except it didn't just involve you getting killed, it involved me failing to prevent it."

I shook my head and found something like this before a fight as familiar. And that gave me an idea. "You know what we haven't done in awhile?" I brought out Alakazam and Charizard, near the window. "I remembered us usually feeling better after remembering some of the trickier things we've been through."

"What, you mean that old rally routine of ours?" Alakazam said.

"Rally Routine?" Charizard repeated.

"What's tat?" Riolu followed up.

"I remember… always feeling… better after those…" Marshtomp said between sniffles.

"well, it's decided, then." Alakazam said smiling. "I believe this hotel has an on-demand service for this sort of stuff, so we should be able to get that track."

"What are you talking about?" Charizard and Riolu demanded. I sighed while I was sitting at the television's on-demand menu and smiled.

"It was an old pep-rally thing we did," I explained while searching the service page. We started using it after we heard this particular song on the radio and Alakazam, a Kadabra then, was apparently thinking back on our accomplishments openly, I came across it when I closed my eyes, and was seeing every major battle we won. I quickly felt better remembering what our hard work was giving us and came up with the idea later.

I found the song in question and agreed to pay for it. The song definitely gave the message that says that those in great political power most likely will not help right away, and that in more cases than one, it's better to join together and say otherwise. I held out my hands like one of my many disguises who was for the most part able to play a guitar decently. The first verse went without much visionary,

"_**One more depending on a prayer, and we all look away.**_

_**People pretending everywhere, it's just another day.**_

_**There's bullets flying through the air, and they still carry on.**_

_**We watch it happen over there, and then just turn it off."**_

At the beginning of the first chorus, I thought back on my toughest spots during the Indigo league. In Cerulean Gym, I ended up advising Blaziken to avoid using any fire, and despite fighting on floating platforms in a pool, he eventually rebounded their hit and run attacks after I spotted a pattern and informed him. Saffron Gym was difficult as Sabrina maintained psychic links with her Abra to improve coordination, I commanded my Kadabra to attack that link with Disable, and he took them down with the repeated use psychic to lift them, Psybeam to blast him, and teleport to approach and repeat. Celadon Gym was where Erika used Vileplume against my remaining teammate, Marshtomp. As I was having trouble with Marshtomp already sick with poison, it was when Pedal dance was used and caught it nearly lose its balance did I command the Ice Beam slip gambit, followed with Earthquake.

During the second verse, I envisioned my agreeing to join Team Rocket, then cutting to when I snatched Cubone's heirloom of sorts and tossing it to him. The scene cut again time at Club before Syrus turned on the news. My thoughts turned then to those countless Trainers who have lost their Pokémon, then the hundreds of Pokéballs in some unnamed and unspecified storage space. Giovanni appeared into view when I recited _**"But all they serve are empty words,"**_ and disappearing to reveal me, wearing my rocket cap, saying _**"That always taste the same."**_

The chorus was recited a second time, and I now envisioned my time in Team Rocket, specifically focusing on my wanting to grow better as a Trainer. Groups of grunts sent their Pokémon at me, and Charizard and Marshtomp fired a combo of Hyper Beam and Ice Beam, the result bursting into a giant Ice glacier that grazed Charizard's neck and wings. Blaziken burst his knuckles into flame and fought hand-to-hand with Machoke during my martial arts training with Machop. Marshtomp shattered an ice layer with Earthquake, allowing Alakazam to use a pseudo Ice Shard against an unknown trainer's Nidoking and Fearow, following up with Hydro Pump and Psychic respectively. The last line, was repeating once, I envisioned one of those eye catch moments in a TV anime, flashing through Blaziken's and Charizard, Marshtomp and Alakazam, and then myself with my rocket uniform in a profile perspective before showing us all together. It repeated once more, and I envisioned what a painter would depict Charizard and Marshtomp's "Hyper Frost", Alakazam splitting up Blaziken's Flamethrower to attack in different directions, and then Charizard and Alakazam's very lethal "Meteor Storm" combo, with me and Blaziken jumping backwards away from it.

I began feeling a little warm as I recited the next part, and I also felt a wave of happiness. I figured it had to come from Riolu, who was feeling a great deal more spirited than before. As soon as we paused for the drum solo, I truly felt better about our decision.

_It's better this way._ I thought. _I'm always against Shadow Pokémon, that will never change._

The chorus was sung for the last time, and I now thought of the past week that we went through. The Battle with Leeroy, how Blaziken and I made our acrobatic counterattack, the couple of Trushade battles and the challenger for the Sacred Fire. The scene shifted to the Bell Tower of Ho-oh, where I Battled and my partners took command, and finally my realization and rage awakened by Ho-oh… the last line was followed by the three Seers flashing through my mind's eye, and the final repeat re-did my initial eye catch, except Riolu was alongside Marshtomp. And I pictured the theme ending with the photograph Morty took of us on the bell tower roof.

I opened my eyes and quickly darted them at everyone. Overall everyone seemed to have some resemblance of a smile, which mellowed out when they awoke from their trance. Riolu looked past me and tilted his head in curiosity. I turned around in the same direction, and found Platinum and her friends standing there, staring at us.

"uhh…" _oh brilliant, they saw some part of it_. "how long ago did you arrive?"

"Long enough to see the whole routine…" Platinum replied. "and boy, did it look CORNY!"

My expression went poker-face blank. "…oh… okay…"

"Everyone has their secrets." I heard a woman said. I did a head count with my eyes. Among the group, besides those three Seers (Joy, of course, hiding in the very back), there was Platinum, her boyfriend Lucas, the woman whose name I've yet to find out about, and…

"Huh?" I smiled when I found him among the group. "Tyson, I guess you two made peace?"

"Yeah…" he replied softly. I glanced at Platinum again, something suddenly beginning to bug me… then it occurred to me.

"Oh, right, I was trying to remember that last name." I said to myself, muttering the possibilities that came to mind. "Beleetz, Betz…uhh."

"Berlitz."

_FINALLY!_ "Yeah, that's right. Berli—" _wait a second…who said that?_ I looked back at Platinum, who gave me a cocked eyebrow and a smirk. I mildly tried to peer into her brain, but as I figured, there was quite a thick layer of protection (almost like a concrete wall).

"Okay, since I'm on the name basis…" I looked at the blonde headed woman. "What name be yours ma'am?"

"Rachel." She replied.

"Rachel…" I made sure to remember that. "Well, now that everyone's here, let's get started."

NOTE: the anthem Claid finds and plays is Nickelback's "When We Stand Together" I suggest you listen to the song while reading that section to get a better idea of the scenario.


	48. Chapter 47: All Hell

DISCLAIMER: This chapter and the next one is a collaboration between two stories set in the same world. this one is my side, the other side is from my friend SynctrainerLucas (titled "**Platinum and Lucas' Adventures in Sinnoh**")

Chapter 47: All Hell…

I finished making the appointed time of the attack to Gabby and informed her when to begin the feed. I put the receiver down, then I turned back to Platinum and her company.

"Alright, so this plan is meant to be loud, hard, and fast. So making sure this gets on the news is important." I said. "How this works is that in a couple of hours from now, I will set off explosives. In areas I feel are going to set off some form of alarm among the members of Team Rocket. Beforehand, however, I will call Giovanni personally and inform him of this "rogue" within the organization. This gives him a considerable doubt as to suspect me, especially when I'll add that a Rocket agent attacked me at Olivine City."

"That's it? That's not much of a plan…" Tyson said.

"That's because…" I shrugged. "as any movie buff would figure from big plans… that was only stage one… stage two, I inform the news when it's going to start, and I proceed to wait for Team Rocket's response to my attack in Viridian Gym. The final stage, is where they try to take me down, and they end up fighting against myself and my team, no holds barred, and if they try to kill me directly…" I closed my eyes, briefly trying to find a good summary of how to say it… "Well, use your imagination."

"You knock them out?" Lucas suggested.

"You kick their ass?" Tyson said at about the same time.

"Kill them first." Pearl and Rachel said simultaneously. Immediately after I nodded, Platinum simply looked worried, whereas Tyson was spooked and Lucas's face went blank as it lost color.

"Why would you need to murder them?" Platinum said, the choice of words striking a cold nerve. "It shouldn't be too hard to simply knock them out."

"I suppose it's because I see the reality of what's to come…" I said. "I can't save them all. I don't know how, and I don't know if it's possible. Even if it were, it's likely suicide trying unless I have a solid possibility right there, right now, that I can use right off the bat."

Tyson looked at me blankly, Platinum and Lucas seemed to have trouble following. I glanced at Alakazam, who smiled and tilted his head slightly. Only the military would understand stuff like that, Eric. And what military is there around HERE?

I sighed and rephrased it. "It's a stupid gamble, and I know it. Unless your GENUINE name is Mary Sue or Marty Stu, a goal with no supporting structure is not only universally stupid, but simply not worth the possible result."

"I still don't…" Platinum was still trying to wrap her head around it. I began to grow slightly frustrated, because I was having difficulty trying to phrase it in layman's terms. Thankfully, Rachel seemed to have spotted this as well.

"he's taking a big enough risk to plan out this major attack on Team Rocket, and he understands that he's going to wind up practically fighting a small army in return." Rachel explained. "He is also aware that not only will there possibly be brainwashed Shadow Pokémon and Trainers, but Trushades will be a possibility_ on top of all that_. All these given, what are the chances of him saving _anybody_ in that kind of chaos?"

We ALL stared at Rachel at that point. Tyson's face had also turned pale and expressionless with Lucas, Platinum was horrified… I, and apparently my Pokémon, looked completely stupefied.

_Okay, _DAMN_!_ I thought. _I had that in mind, but I did NOT intend to be that straight with it!_

I shook myself out of that moment, and figured I might as well be straight with my intention. "Bear in mind, though, that IF someone dies because of me, it will be completely incidental. I do not intend to go out of my way to kill an enemy that's not a Trushade, but I can't afford to avoid killing an opponent that gets caught in the crossfire." I looked at Alakazam and this time it was me to smirk. "Any questions?" little do they realize, I was waiting on a specific one.

"How do you expect to command all your Pokémon in the middle of all that…" Platinum asked, "While trying to protect your own hide."

My smirk turned into a grin, now to reveal why I encourage some awareness in my partners. "Glad you asked." But before I could start, Tyson spouted out a sudden "HUH?"

"He was hoping you'd ask that." Rachel said flatly.

"I, for one, encourage my partners to object against me when I'm in the wrong, and I do it for a reason." I said. "In this, it's true that I cannot command all of my Pokémon at once. That's why I've tried teaching my partners how to become effective leaders in case something happens that forces everyone out. This way, we can divide the team into two functioning halves, and, should something happen to me, the second team can render effective assistance." I paused for a few seconds, and scratched the back of my head in a mildly embarrassed gesture. "Uhh… Suddenly I realize that's a bit much, Ms. Rachel, could you help summarize, please?"

"Hmph, for a young man your age, you sound pretty military-like…" Rachel commented, sighed, and proceeded. "Like he said before, he cannot command five Pokémon at once given the chaotic circumstances. Plus, he also is aware that Pokémon listen to their trainer's orders in Battle because they trust their judgment. What he's doing, however, is teaching his Pokémon how to make that judgment for themselves. That way, in the event something happens to divide the team into two groups, _OR_ if something happens to their Trainer, the leading Pokémon will know what to do to serve as an able substitute in said situation."

Tyson was surprised, whereas Platinum and Lucas were looking at each other, and then at me, who was grinning proudly. Platinum frowned at it, though. "You're pretty smug about it." She commented. "I'll admit its cool, but it's not THAT cool…"

My grin softened, admittedly since she was pretty direct. I take pride in how we work as a team, because the end result is my partners pulling off unexpected combos that win a battle and we celebrate our hard work afterward. "In this battle, I'm going to lead on the ground with Blaziken and Marshtomp, Alakazam and Charizard will be the second team providing aerial support. However, Riolu will also be with the aerial team with Alakazam, as he's still not quite ready for a fight like this on the ground. So he'll be helping with preventing airborne ambushes. Alakazam will lead the second team as his psychic abilities can provide a sort of insight when it boils down to it." I paused for a second, and decided to try scanning their brains, but I began having trouble due to interference and a leer from Karma told me to stop. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah, how are you going to get us in there?" Pearl asked. "We don't exactly have Rocket uniforms."

That… was something I completely overlooked. I looked at Love, Karma, and then Joy. "This… is just a projection, right? Could it be possible to modify the appearance?"

_Yes, it is possible..._ Love said.

"Why do I not like where this is going?" Pearl wondered.

I thought for a second, realizing the idea might not do well. 'Wait, sorry, is invisibility a possibility? Perhaps Levitation as well, but I won't push it…"

_I'm not what you humans call a "genie", Eric._ Love looked at me sourly. _But yes, I can do invisibility and levitation._

With that, I sorted out that with Joy and Karma, Love would levitate Platinum and co. under a veil of invisibility. I explained to them how the media was going to watch and reasoned that it would be unwise to be seen levitating on camera like that. By the time it was finally explained, it turns out that the whole projection expends the Seers' stamina, and I decided it was now or never, what with an hour until I set off the explosives and all..

"Why do you need to do this, though…?" god damn, this group sure is full of questions. It didn't help when the question was asking for my motive.

'Before, I thought I was making it up to my partners… now I realize I've been delusioned into thinking it's all for sake of being stronger." I said. "I wound up shutting myself out for something stupid… and now… now..." I paused for a minute, thinking back on the many time I've held back my thoughts when I should have really considered how I'm hurting people worse than I had hoped… that team Rocket wasn't stealing and redistributing once they were done with their catch. They stole occasionally from Pokémon Centers, a few of them with my help, and used them to make these Shadow Pokémon abominations. I felt my fist clench tighter and tighter, and without thinking, that fist was about to swing at a wall, until I was stopped by something non-physical. "I've… just fucking had it with being used…!" I said, gritting my teeth as Alakazam restrained me.

I calmed down rather quickly, only to briefly overhear an echo of Rachel's voice somewhere. I glanced at Rachel herself, who was staring at me intensely, like I was someone else.

"Ms. Rachel?" she snapped out of it and shrugged off her look. "It's nothing important. You just remind me some something that happened when I was young…"

I looked at the clock again, and was appalled that there was thirty minutes left. With no time to spare, I picked up the hotel's phone and began dialing.

***Rocket Underground HQ, a few minutes earlier***

Giovanni sat down in his office shortly after a meeting of interest, his thoughts were wild with thoughts on this new Pokémon program. According to the mystery distributor, this Program allows Pokémon to summon copies of itself to assist the host in battle, and should they be knocked down in battle, they are instantly on their feet again. The drawbacks, however, require said Pokémon to be that of a Shadow variety due to the fact that use on any other Pokémon causes an increasing blood lust as behavioral side effects. Use on humans is easily not an affordable option, as this results in vicious homicidal insanity, as tested by unnamed terminal patients.

Giovanni was particularly impressed with the Shadow Pokémon in question, a Rhydon, had effectively decimated a large portion of forest with its copies. The distributor sold the deal with the thought of "how much more efficient it would be to have a force that can literally be a one-Pokémon-team that follows your every command."

The mystery distributor seemed to always keep his face hidden as well. And he seemed to sound very similar to Rocket agent Claid. When Giovanni commented on this, the distributor paused, saying that he "knows of that boy…" with a hint of distaste. As a sign of trust, a few Pokéballs were sent along with an design for an attachment to keep the program active. Giovanni considered running the idea by Agent Claid. Given the potential in his unorthodox abilities in Battle, he would become the greatest Rocket agent Giovanni's ever recruited., he would even be able to hold down the slowly growing group of members who seem to be drafting new members for some apparent cult. The fact that they're acting strange was one thing to the Rocket Boss, but when there seems to be a growing reports of savage attacks on various members, the stability of team Rocket comes to question. With this new program and Eric Claid's powerful team of Pokémon, this will no longer be of any importance.

_***BRRRRRT. BRRRRRT. BRRRRRT***_

Giovanni's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an incoming call a brief look at the monitor reading "AUDIO ONLY", and he picked up the phone.

"Yes?" he said simply.

"Mr. Giovanni, is that you, sir?" a familiar voice asked.

"Ah, Eric, I was hoping to talk to you." Giovanni smiled

"Sorry, sir, but I'm a little pressed for time." His voice was panicked "I'm calling to report that there might be a rogue among the ranks of Team Rocket."

"What!" Giovanni was alarmed. "How can you be certain?"

"Because I can recognize a grunt's uniform on someone who attacked me in Johto, with the intent to kill, no less." Eric said. "Based on my small profile, it seems clear this rogue has something against Team Rocket, and the attack on me says I'm the biggest threat to their plan. What this motive is, I have yet to discern."

Giovanni now understood that the boy wasn't lying, he's grown to be skilled in figuring out an enemy's behavior, which has proven useful in the few missions he's taken part in. "Have you been able to identify the rogue?"

"Not quite. I have discerned that the rogue is male of about his very late teens to early twenties." He reported. "He also seems to be very skilled in stealth, as he was able to catch me completely by surprise. The battle style seems to be very aggressive, more than willing to savagely beat an opponent should the chance arise."

"Do you have some idea what this rogue plans to do?" Giovanni asked.

"I've intercepted a phone call between him and an unknown female stating that he plans to use explosives shortly, and that he'll challenge Team Rocket in Viridian Gym afterward." He stated. "But besides that, I had to cut the connection before getting caught causing static."

"See if you can intercept this rogue and bring him to me." Giovanni ordered.. "Is that understood?"

"…I don't think there's much of a point in that, sir." Eric said, his voice quickly becoming calm. "Because I think the Rogue intends to take the fight back to home plate…"

"What was that?" Giovanni demanded. Something felt wrong, what prompted Eric's tone to change?

***Neet…Neet…Neet…Neet***

Eric paused on the line as Giovanni began hearing a strange noise in his office. The sound seemed to come from underfoot, but his Pokémon Persian was already looking for something under the desk.

"I said…" Eric's tone of voice changed again from calm to foreboding.. The noise in the room began to accelerate, and Persian began staring at something underneath the desk. Giovanni placed the Receiver down and activated a speaker system before looking down.

***Neet. Neet. Neet. Neet.***

"I think the Rogue…"

***Neet Neet Neet Neet Neet*** Giovanni looked down at Persian to see what direction he was staring.

"Would rather face your Shadow Trainers…"

***NeetNeetNeetNeetNeet*** the object in question was a brown rectangular object stuck to the bottom drawer, as the noise seemed to change directions, he turned and found a second object, identical in appearance.

"At home base."

_***NEEEEEEEEEEEE…***_ Giovanni's eyes widened, he knew exactly what was happening, and as Persian picked up on it, it was too late to escape unscathed.

***ERIC***

Fifteen loud thuds in succession were heard as I approached the Viridian City Gym. I glanced at Platinum and crew as they faded away from visual sight, becoming more than minor ripples of the scenery past them. I walked inside, and as I figured, it was still empty. I found a spot near the center of the room, well lit up and in view for all to see. At this point, I addressed Platinum and crew without looking.

"I'll count on you guys to find a place near the walls of this Gym to spectate from. A lot of things are going to happen at once, so I hope you can manage watching it all." I said.

_No worries, I can help them keep track just in case_. Karma said. _Just don't get yourself killed._

"That's not worth suggesting, I will not let any of us get killed over this.'

"Good luck, Claid" Platinum said.

As I sensed Platinum and company growing faint, I focused on the group of grunts, numbering about ten to twelve, entering the Gym and facing me in two groups, one on each side.

"Executive Claid, Glad to see you, now this rogue won't stand a chance!" one of the grunts cheered. I scanned his brain, and learned he doesn't use shadow Pokémon.

"Which of you use Shadow Pokémon…?" I asked, restraining a hint of concern in my voice.

The group of Grunts started looking at each other. One Grunt stood out unnecessarily in attention. "I don't use Shadow Pokémon, sir, and I'm proud of it."

"You take that back, punk!" the trio I met earlier attempted to grab him, but I raised my hand to psychically stop them… the lone grunt stood there, in ultimate defiance, and I felt better knowing such.

"This is going to be a very dangerous battle, possibly lethal." I said, "But as I refuse to leave matters to chance, I want all Grunts who use Shadow Pokémon wholeheartedly to stand behind me."

Most of the grunts walked over past me, and I mildly kept those who remained from getting hurt. All but a scant three or four of the grunts were left standing there, including the one at attention.

I sighed in disappointment, not at the remaining uncorrupt (despite what the second group thought). I took a couple of steps towards them,

"Admittedly, I'm rather glad there are some Trainers who haven't liked the tempting offer for Shadow Pokémon." I said to the grunts, causing murmurs of confusion among the corrupt. "Unfortunately, I've learned that this rogue is relentless in his attack, and for your sakes, I'd rather not deal with the possibility that your Pokémon can be killed." Alarm shot through the minds of each of the grunts, as figured. "So I'd like you to keep watch at surveillance. There's no telling of the rogue has additional support, so it would be nice to have someone to sound an alarm if something goes haywire."

They paused for a second, looking at each other, the one in attention nodded sharply, and marched away (_really _unnecessary, dude…), the others followed him, but not as seriously. One even looked back, and I gave him a look of foreboding before I shadowed my eyes with the Grunts hat I kept on. Once the grunts have left, I faced the corrupt and kept my cap shadowing my eyes for dramatic flair.

"Quite… the group of misfits here." I commented.

"So, you decided to start using Shadow Pokémon, and as a result, you've changed quite a bit…" I lectured. "So, I suppose I'll ask… besides this rogue, who would you consider your greatest enemy?"

"The Sacr-!" one grunt tried to say, before getting muffled. "Why do you need to know? You don't use Shadow Pokémon… only reason we aren't gonna kick your ass is because o—"

It became my turn to interrupt the Grunt, as I pulled out my pendant, the entire group behind the first line began having wide-eyes.

"Are Shadow Pokémon really worth it?" I asked, lifting my hat to reveal a glare. "Because if they are, then I'm _done_ with Team Rocket."

A few of the grunts in front recovered and began to snicker, I kept my glare, but something felt off. This is not what I had hoped, I preferred the textbook "rage charge"… there's an ax about to fall somewhere, that's got to be it.

"Well, then, it's nice to introduce yourself then." One of them said. "At least we have more of a reason to bump you off then…"

_Bump me off?_ The familiar sense of increasing alarm stung on the back of my neck. _They intended to kill me anyways?_

The alarm spiked, and I had a good idea what this was. As time seemed slower around me, I ducked down, just as I found that familiar blade, I punched it off, and slashed back with it. Hordes upon hordes of Trushades poured in, and I threw up a quick barrier to give me enough time to mentally open my Pokéballs and provide Alakazam to teleport his team into the air.

***Viridian City Gym***

An impact had shattered Eric's barrier, stunning him for an instant. Blaziken and Marshtomp fought relentlessly, destroying enemy after enemy within their Trainer's range. Eric recovered in seconds, and quickly began identifying enemy Pokémon the Trushades copied. On the ground, beside the unmistakable Scythers and Arboks, he recognized Nidoking, Kingler, Electabuzz, and Raticate. Summoning a Psycho Cut blade, Eric charged forward, and began cutting down every enemy that got close. A Raticate was launched into the psychic blade, Electabuzz and Nidoking attacked from both directions, Eric launched Raticate into Electabuzz before slashing Nidoking multiple times to destroy it. Blaziken punched back multiple Raticates that interfered with a fight with a Nidoking. The large enemy thrust its horn forward Blaziken stepped back, bumped into something, and immediately grabbed the target and flung it at the Nidoking. The target, which turned out to be Eric, grabbed the Nidoking and threw a punch at the back of its head, rose and kicked off the same spot, sounding a loud CRACK, before the enemy disappeared. Marshtomp was constantly using Ice Beam in a spin to freeze the enemies, only for a new group to trample through them. The tactic was working well, but Marshtomp began getting dizzy, and by then was beginning to nearly get hit by passing attacks from Nidoking, Electabuzz, and charging Raticate. The Pokémon stumbled and fell down, just as a Scyther slashed toward his neck, Eric immediately responded by destroying the Scyther, and creating a Barrier for himself and his two partners.

"GRRRRGHH" Eric clenched his teeth sharply as he was bracing the impacts from multiple Nidoking and Electabuzz.

"How can we fight these guys if they just keep coming?" Marshtomp said despairingly

"Maybe there's a source, Remember how we beat Leeroy?"

"You mean how all those things just vanished?"

At the same time in the air, Alakazam and Charizard were better able to defend themselves in destroying Pidgeot, Beedrill, Venomoth, and Fearows. Riolu was having difficulty keeping up with Alakazam and instead directed Charizard where to fire his Flamethrower. Riolu looked around at the battlefield on the ground for a few moments and watched in horror as his friends were also fighting an endless force of enemies. It was when he looked toward the edge of the enemy army did he notice something strange. Seemingly normal Pokémon remained at the edge of the battlefield black-purple aura flowing around them. The height they were at, though, he only made out the brightly colored Beedrill and Pidgeot, but both of them, like the other shared the aura.

"Chawizaad, what's tat ova teah?" Riolu said, pointing at the dark spots of aura.

"The edge of the battlefield, what's—Augh!" a Venomoth's Psybeam struck Charizard's back, just left of Riolu, who jolted at the fact. "What is it?" Charizard demanded.

"Tose Black spots tere!"

"What Black spots? I don't see any black spots."

Alakazam dispatched another group before scanning Riolu's mind. "Try attacking those normal enemies near the edge."

Charizard fired at the direction Alakazam noted, but three Trushade Beedrill turned up in the crossfire and took the brunt of the attack.

"Try again!" Alakazam commanded, Charizard began to dive for the enemy and fired. A Trushade Pidgeot flew in the direction of the crossfire, but Alakazam used Psychic to redirect it. The flame hit a normal Nidoking that stood there, not making any attempt to dodge. As it struck, a brief dark-purple spark shot off from the target's body before it fell over, seemingly unconscious. Riolu saw the large aura shrink from the Nidoking, but called out to Alakazam when a Trushade Nidoking vanished around the same time.

"Why'd it dissapea?" Riolu asked, but what he pointed out, turned to a moment of brilliance for Alakazam. A mass of Twineedles shot towards the aerial team, but Alakazam. Held the needles in place, and smiled.

"Because we found the source." Alakazam replied, he glanced down, and found Eric fall to his knees his barrier destroyed. "Charizard, moves us closer to the edge. Let's knock out the source of these copies!"

Back on the ground, Eric had exhausted himself blocking the enemy Nidoking, but as they strangely disappeared, other enemies closed in. Blaziken fought the Electabuzz, parrying their punches and redirecting their attacks against one another. Marshtomp held them back using Ice Beam, except each set of enemies trampled through the ice. Eric forced himself to his feet, summoning his psychic blades to parry and repelling enemy attacks.

Eric's stress from the barrier began getting him hit on occasion. He slashed against two Electabuzz, but a sting on the side of his arm meant his arm was slashed, the Scyther was destroyed. A strong tingling sensation was felt on his back, he found himself stiffened up from another Electabuzz's ThunderPunch. Trushade Raticates began scratching all over him before a Kingler's Crab Hammer sent him flying towards a pair of Scyther.

Time seemed to have slowed down in Eric's and Blaziken's minds, as Blaziken destroyed pair of Raticates and Kingler, witnesses his friend getting shot towards a pair of Scythers. Eric's thoughts went frantic over his psychic ability not working to stop him. As Blaziken's horror for Eric's life rose, he didn't notice the Crabhammer knock him down. The same claw grabbed and tossed him upward. Raticates juggled the dazed Blaziken with Double-edge tackles shot into the air. The Scythers were pushed away by Marshtomp's Hydro Pump, only to be stuck by solid venom by the hidden Arboks' Poison Sting. In the air, Riolu's panic spiked as he saw his friends being beaten, the aura emanating it affecting Alakazam, who's mostly aware of it as a result. With a great amount of excessive force, he launched a series of held Twineedles at the targets near the edge. Just as an Arbok was baring purple glowed fangs at Marshtomp, a Kingler readied a giant claw to launch a lethal strike on the falling Blaziken, and an Electabuzz readied an Ice Punch at the stunned Eric.

The attack reached their mark. The Pidgeot, Raticate, Electabuzz, and Kingler each left a crater in the concrete wall of the Gym; the attack only destroyed Beedrill's right wing, but the Psychic force launched it as well to the wall, crushing the left wing; another impaled the Trushade Venomoth and launched it square on toward the original, impacting it before vanishing... as Alakazam had hoped, the Trushades vanished, sparing the lives of Eric and the Grounded division of the team.

The Rocket Grunts who were spitting the battle recovered from their surprise of being countered. Reacting without words, they grabbed for their other Pokéballs. Alakazam leapt off of Charizard, and hovered inches over the ground as the grunts tossed their Pokéballs, and raised a spoon to them.

_Not happening!_ Alakazam said, mentally holding the Pokéballs and keeping them from opening. A few of the Grunts were losing their posture, realizing what just happened to them. Immediately, Alakazam launched a Psychic blast, throwing back the grunts strong enough to knock them out next to the mangled Pokémon.

"Thanks, kid…" Alakazam said to himself, looking up and smiling at Riolu. _Your discovery has just saved our lives…_


	49. Chapter 48: Unleashed

Chapter 48: …Unleashed

***ERIC***

I took a minute or two to recover from the daze of getting smacked around. My right arm felt weak and for some reason, I also felt slightly lightheaded. It took another minute to realize that I had a quarter-inch-deep gash on the side of my arm (just above my elbow) that was bleeding profusely. Mind processes slowed, I took seconds to levitate Alakazam's Pokéball to my other hand, focus, and mutter "Recover." Slowly and painfully, the wound began to close itself, but a sharper pain in my chest was what woke me up. My starry vision cleared quickly, and I found Alakazam with a spoon raised.

"You know, you're not the only one who reads in his spare time." He said. "Sometimes when you check out recipe books, I'll be reading through various textbooks… helps a great deal, especially when I studied medical books out of interest." He paused for a second just as the pain vanished. "There, an improperly healed rib could cause problems, you know."

"Exactly what medical textbook did you study, anyway…?" I inquired suspiciously.

"Never mind that for now, looks like you three got pretty beat up in that assault." He said, changing the subject. "I'll help Marshtomp get all those needles out of his side and back head, Blaziken looks pretty stunned, too, but not as bad."

"Alright, I'll help Blaziken, then." I replied, and headed towards Blaziken, still feeling very numb in my right arm.

Charizard, with Riolu still on board, landed next to us as we were giving treatment. As Blaziken and Marshtomp stood up, I looked at him when I heard him snickering.

"You guys aught to be thankful… it was thanks to the kid here that you're still alive." Charizard said. I looked at Riolu, who was smiling big. I smiled back and genuinely said "Thank You, Riolu."

"Thanks to him, we also found something that can help take down the Trushades." Alakazam said, glancing at a proud Riolu and smiled his way before returning to me. "As it turns out, Riolu spotted normal Pokémon that seemed to give off a strong dark aura. They're stationary, and striking them destroys their connection with the Trushades, rendering them unconscious and destroying their copies…"

"So, is that what caused those Nidoking…?" I said, and he nodded. My muscles began to ache right about then, I flexed my arms out, the numbness in my right arm began fading as it was moving, though the area that was once slashed felt very sore.

"Ow…" I winced as I kept feeling a stab on said area… "Suddenly I wonder how a steak feels."

Alakazam looked up when he finished healing Marshtomp. "Not surprising, you normally shouldn't even be moving that… even the muscles were cut. But you healed them back together, so it's not quite used to the stress."

My balance stumbled for an instant and I felt like wanting to get some sleep… "And the lightheadedness, Doc?"

"Blood loss," Alakazam said flatly. "You realize how long that cut was made, right? It didn't help that you hardly registered it in your rush to stay alive."

I took a second to think something else over, and turned to glance at the camera. I shed my torn Rocket shirt covering my blue tee and used Psycho Cut to slash off the rocket pants over my casual brown expeditions. A few seconds of stretching, and I dropped them on the ground.

"Bravo, kid!" a voice called. "Your tactics worked well once again."

I turned around south east and my heart sank when I saw Syrus leaning against a wall near an open double doorway a brief glance in his brain gave me somewhat muffled out words… like the voices some psycho would hear in fiction.

"Syrus…" I uttered hurtfully. Kevin told me before that Syrus was not acting like himself, and I feared the worst. Syrus began walking toward us, and I recalled everyone but Alakazam.

"You know, I've heard you've been a little off lately…" I said. "There something you want to talk about?"

"Sure, kid." Syrus stopped, and I felt uneasy. "Been awhile since we last had a match, right?"

"What? Why are you talking about a casual Pokémon battle at a-?"

"Still fairly annoyed at how you seem to come out on top of everything." He said. "Makes everyone else look bad."

"Syrus, what the hell are you—"

"So, I think perhaps we ought to have one more battle, just to settle things." He must not want me to finish, does he? "Though I think this time, I've got the edge against you now."

From behind him, a large blast of water shot toward me, and my thoughts froze for an instant. In a sudden jolt, my first impulse was to raise my arms and focus a shield. The Hydro Pump hit the shield with the force enough to punch a hole in concrete, and the shield shattered, shoving me into a wall far behind me. The pressure was too much, my lungs began burning from the lack of air in my already strained body, my focus began fading quickly, and with everything I had, I began raising my arms up.

The pressure lifted instantly and a brief rush dropped me off somewhere else. I gasped for air and Alakazam was standing next to me.

_Perhaps it'd be better to run and live to fight another day._ He suggested. I looked at Syrus and knew damn well he wasn't done. Another Pokéball was thrown on his side and out came a blank-faced Slowbro.

"N-no…" I sputtered.

_What? Eric, you're in no good condition to keep going!_ Alakazam protested. Slowbro opened its mouth and a small black ball of energy was being charged.

_I don't care anymore…_ I thought. I heard he acted off, and I feared the worst. Slowbro launched a Shadow Ball, destroying the light screen shield.

_No, they think that can use my friend to catch me by surprise, fine._ I ignored the ache in my legs when I stood up, too angry to think of much else. _But there's no snowball's chance in hell that they will be able to kill me like that_. I grabbed Blaziken's Pokéball._ Darkness Silvershade, you can beat me, you can humiliate me, hell you can have no problem defeating me now… but I will not let you kill me, do you hear me…?_

Alakazam's thoughts broadcasted a solemn understanding. I knew he didn't like it, but I will not let him stop me, god dammit! I stared at Blastoise as he aimed his cannons my direction, as I felt a sudden rush of angry heat surround me, I took a breath and made my declaration very clear.

"SILVERSHADE, YOU WILL NOT KILL ME, MOTHERFUCKER! I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE BEFORE I LET YOU FUCKING KILL MEEEE!"

***Viridian City Gym***

Great waves of rage flowed through Eric's thoughts. He tossed out his Pokéball and Blaziken was brought out. Eric jumped aside from a second Hydro Pump landing near the fire type Pokémon, Blaziken glanced at his friend, confused at his fierce expression. Alakazam teleported, and very quickly summarized what happened.

"We're done after this, Eric…" Alakazam stated. "Once this is over, we're leaving this place."

The anger Eric felt caused an additional boost in his stamina. His anger was tightening, but it didn't disturb his thoughts. He nodded at Alakazam and together, they charged their opponents.

Slowbro fired off a Hydro Pump in Eric's direction, Eric and Alakazam dodged to the left, while Blaziken jumped up. Slowbro's focus aimed at Blaziken and with a Psychic force, stopped its target and threw him straight down to the ground.

_Alakazam, Intercept Slowbro with Psycho Cut._ Eric commanded mentally. _And stay close to it, but watch out for that tail, if it traps you, use Teleport to escape._

Alakazam rushed toward Slowbro, a Psychic blade formed around his spoons. Eric began charging toward Blastoise, his target opened its mouth, and the blue lightning of Ice Beam was passing over and under Eric as he continued approaching. Blastoise ceased fire and threw a charged punch, but Eric hopped on the arm, and jumped again to charge and shoot a quick Psybeam at his target's head. Blaziken appeared behind Eric as he jumped aside, and drop kicked Blastoise, knocking it backward and upside down on its shell. Alakazam, at the same time, gained the upper hand against Slowbro, redirecting a Shadow Ball at the Shellder tail, causing it to chomp down. The symbiotic Slowbro stopped, stun enough to take a series of multiple Psycho Cut slashes before it fell. Blastoise retreated back to its shell, and quickly began spinning and hurtling toward Eric and Blaziken. Blaziken stepped aside, but a surprised Eric was sideswiped by the attack, being sent into a sharp spin in place. The Rapid Spinning Blastoise came around for another pass, but Blaziken threw a kick, and his trainer began rolling away as the attack struck him instead.

Alakazam levitated over Blastoise and lifted it up sharply. Another force of Psychic, and Alakazam launched the enemy target into a wall, leaving a crater. The shell fell upright, and Blastoise emerged from the collapsing rubble, stumbling from the impact. With a cry of effort, Alakazam lifted Blastoise again, and launched it again toward the center of the battlefield. Eric and Blaziken eventually recovered from their daze of being spun, Alakazam fell to his knees from all the effort.

"You did great, guys, now it's time for team two." Eric said, recalling his two partners, and then grabbing two other Pokéballs. Out of them came Marshtomp and Charizard, and as Syrus switched Blastoise and Slowbro for his two other Pokémon, the spectators continued to watch Eric. Even the news station who were also watching were impressed at how he's still standing regardless of the beating he's been taking the duration of this event.

The two Pokémon Syrus had summoned were Skarmory and Poliwrath, confirming Eric's conclusion that Blastoise was knocked out. Syrus displayed a glaring hate in his eyes, being noted by Eric as uncharacteristic towards his otherwise friendly rival.

_It has to be that damned aura, Syrus would make frequent snide remarks during a battle, but this time he's quiet..._ Eric tried to read his mind, but the only thing he could sense was disgrace. _Dammit, you'd better have been taken by force, because otherwise you'd have every right to be ashamed of yourself!_

Marshtomp jumped on Charizard's back, and they took off after Skarmory. Poliwrath, however, fixed its gaze at Eric. Skarmory had little trouble avoiding Charizard's Flamethrower attacks, but the aerial fight was stalemated as long as Marshtomp covered Charizard from rear attacks. On the ground, Eric sidestepped frequently against Poliwrath between blows, dodging a Water Gun blast that would otherwise break his defense. Psycho Cut blade at the ready, Eric aimed to take down his target in order to assist his partners. Poliwrath shot another set of punches, a third of which Eric parried and charged forward. Unexpectedly, Eric was knocked aside as Skarmory intercepted the attack.

Skarmory felt a tug as it found Eric clutching its leg. Poliwrath dashed forward, a Focus punch striking Eric from behind, but while he clenched his teeth from it, he didn't let go. Charizard's Flamethrower blasted at Skarmory, Marshtomp jumped, raised his arms, and struck down on Skarmory. In the instant Marshtomp's attack connected, Skarmory shot down onto Eric's wrist with a sharp SNAP. The energy shifted, and blasted from the ground, knocking out Skarmory and causing Poliwrath to stumble. His brain reeling from the pain from Earthquake, Eric cried out, and unleashed a Psychic blast at Poliwrath. The force sent the Pokémon shooting toward the wall, cracking the wall where it impacted, and it fell, unconscious.

Marshtomp grabbed Alakazam's Pokéball, and opened it. Charizard moved Skarmory's unconscious body as Alakazam opened his eyes sleepily, and looked at Eric's wrist. The limb was curved towards the shape of the crater, and upon closer inspection, it was broken in three places.

"Can it be fixed like before?" Marshtomp asked, but Alakazam looked at Eric and glared when he met his gaze.

"I will not appreciate being your medic, Eric. That's a Chansey or Blissey's job" Alakazam stated outright. "I'll hold these bones in place just this one more time while you heal. But from now on, learn to take care of yourself."

Eric couldn't say much, except moan in pain as he struggled to command the move "Recover". Alakazam held the broken bones with Psychic, and after an extended effort on Eric's part, Alakazam tapped the wrist and confirmed it was fixed. Eric forcefully rose to his knees and bitterly recalled Alakazam.

"Hmph, it's pathetic how much of a punching bag you are, kid…" Charizard commented, then looked at Syrus, staring without a twitch of movement. " 'Sides that, what do you think happened to him?"

Eric wobbled as he got to his feet, his eyelids growing slightly heavy. "Doesn't matter…" he replied, " We beat him, we're done." He began hobbling away in the direction of the exit, his right hand twitching from the recovered wrist still aching. "I'm going to feel like shit for the next couple of days…" he grumbled.

A purple aura began to surround Syrus as his unseen anger rose. As Eric hobbled away and his Pokémon followed, the shadow Aura spread toward his Pokémon, who were slowly and silently rising from where they were. The Aura began creeping out of each Pokémon, and Syrus even grabbed his two other Pokéballs, each flashing a brief purple cage pattern. Attempts by the hidden spectators to alert Eric were difficult, has he was now only hearing them through faded muffled voices. The small mist crept in the direction of Charizard and Marshtomp; The Shadow Skarmory and Poliwrath, their eyes focused into black dots, violence seething in their expression. The Shadowy mist was close to Charizard and Marshtomp, by only a few feet, did one of the bystanders use a different approach.

_LOOK OUT, CLAID-SAMA!_ The mental scream rang in Eric's head loud enough to get the point across. But when he turned around, it was too late.

The shadow Aura flashed a sharp bright purple as beams of energy began surrounding the two Pokémon. Charizard clenched his teeth as the aura immobilized him, Marshtomp reacted as if he was being strangled. Panic rose through Eric very quickly, confusion cloaking his mind as he looked wildly at his partners being stunned. The Shadow aura began to spark around the Pokémon, and both reacted as they would to being electrocuted. Immediately afterward, a sharp purple light shot toward two Pokéballs on Eric's belt, and Charizard and Marshtomp, in a crimson red glow, were forced back into their Pokéballs.

***ERIC***

Another surge of adrenaline surged through my body as I snatched the Pokéballs and pressed the buttons. The horror just rose that much higher as nothing was happening, the Pokéballs were locked, and Charizard and Marshtomp were trapped. I began stepping back, swapped them for Blaziken and Alakazam's, but a sharp tingling sensation upon contact brought about a scarier realization. I clicked the Pokéballs buttons… nothing happened.

I was on my own, Syrus's Pokémon have somehow recovered from their beatings, I'm exhausted, and I'm outnumbered two to one. I could hold my own against them if I were at my best, but these are REAL Pokémon…! I can't _kill __**them**_, these aren't like the Trushades!

A glance at Syrus easily proved he was enjoying watching me panic. Then he threw those two Pokéballs up, Blastoise and Slowbro were also somehow recovered.

_N-no, this can't happen!_ I am outnumbered FOUR to one! I could run for all it's worth, but unless I could get past that speedy Skarmory, I can't manage a means of breaking out of here. _We beat them, we goddamned KNOCKED THEM OUT! How can they still get up!_

My thoughts flashed towards the Dusknoir a couple months before when I first learned Pokéform. It was the exact same situation, I only had two options, to kill my friend's team, or to let them live and they'll kill me instead. _No, why did I have to be stuck with this choice? Why did you have to fall to that damned aura? Why does this shit happen to ME?_

Time slowed down as my heart sank. _I don't wanna… I don't wanna have to kill them. No… I…_

_**Then call upon the power I gave you…**_ a voice echoed.

_What?_ I thought, but I didn't wait for a response. I leapt to the left to avoid a blast of blackish water fired from Blastoise's cannons, finding Poliwrath follow suit, a series of punches were thrown at me, but adrenaline kept me from getting hit until Poliwrath pounded the ground. Bright white and dark purple spikes of energy shot up around it, stabbing through my left arm, right leg and stomach. A combined sensation of tingling and cold shot through the spots where the attack struck, and I sound said limbs unable to move for an instant, just enough for it to throw a few punches at my gut. I recovered quickly from the attacks, and psychically repelled it and starting running. I looked around for something that might prove helpful, but as I looked left for the second time, Skarmory was up at my face prompting me to throw up my arms immediately as its beak started stabbing at my wrist three or four times.

I jumped backward with only a few stab wounds on my wrist, I focused and managed to summon Psycho Cut, figuring I'll be dead faster if I don't at least defend myself. Skarmory shot toward me, I readied a stance, and parried the Steel Wing. I looked around quickly, and saw that Blackish Hydro pump-esque attack long enough for jump and get struck on the side. My entire left arm and side briefly went numb with a cold sensation, and I suddenly felt like I was losing a little hope. It struck me as strange immediately after, but it didn't matter. _I had to find that third option, I need to escape, without killing Syrus's Pokémon… but… dammit, what was it?_

_**It's rather aggravating how you refuse to call upon your acquired power, despite the bleak state you're in…**_ The voice spoke again. It occurred to me that it sounded familiar.

_Ho-oh…?_

_**Ah, so you CAN hear me…**_ Ho-oh replied sarcastically, somehow giving me the feeling I would have said the same thing in his position…

_I heard you the first time, with absolutely NO IDEA what you're implying…_ I snapped. I stepped left of a Shadow Ball's path, and ducked to avoid another Steel Wing.

_**Calling it is very similar to your psychic abilities. Just focus, and you'll meet it…**_

My confusion at this cryptic shit was beginning to frustrate me. The only thing keeping me level-headed was knowing that a distraction now will be lethal. A narrow beam of crystallizing purple nearly shot my head from the right, I pushed off from the ground to avoid. What appeared to be Sonicboom, but the severity suggested a quickly charged Razor Wind.

_Meet what? I don't get it._ I protested. _You say to call upon it, how am I supposed to know what I'm—_

My momentum felt like it halted slowly, I felt like I couldn't move, everything else around me slowed to a stop as a sharp heat appeared within my chest.

_**Your Sacred Fire.**_

The realization left my mind stunned with even more confusion. Yet, at the same time, it also felt like the puzzle pieces were scattered before me, being put together with every word by someone else.

_My… Sacred Fire…?_ The heat in my chest mellowed out into a warmth that engulfed me, time resumed around me, and yet everything I did in mid-air felt like second nature. Forced a Psychic push toward myself, shifted my momentum, and focused as I landed…

The sensation of sensing the Sacred Fire felt like that of a friend… It-…he…he seemed to have wanted to help out… keep his friend alive.

_**Your Sacred Fire adopts the personality of the both of us to signify our link. **_Ho-oh told me._** Its strength grows as you do, and it will be shared with those you trust most. No normal Shadow will be able to control you or your closest friends.**_

I felt a sense of optimism wash over me… like it was doing away with most other negative thoughts. One question still stuck in my question… _Can I help friends who were…?_

_**Not now… but yes, it's possible to help him…**_ Ho-oh replied solemnly.

I accepted the optimism wholeheartedly, knowing I can save Syrus someday. The Sacred Fire knew of my predicament, and thanks to it, I finally found my third option.

With this, I may not be able to destroy the Shadow Aura… but for now, I can deal serious damage to it!

***Viridian Gym***

A bright orange-gold aura wrapped around Eric and his eyes began to glow a similar orange. All traces of fatigue or adrenaline-run thoughts had ceased, and he focused calmly towards the battle with a positive outlook in sight. Syrus's Shadow Pokémon launched attacks in Eric's direction, in swift succession, he took a Pokéball, leapt aside, transformed into Kadabra-Unison, and propelled forward towards Poliwrath. Skarmory flew in, but Kadabra-Unison Teleported in front of his target and slashed with an orange colored Psycho Cut. Poliwrath staggered backward, Kadabra-Unison Slashed four more times and once more as he shot past. Poliwrath fell forward, unconscious, and Eric reverted before sprinting Slowbro's direction.

Two Shadow Balls were shot in succession, Eric sidestepped each and got closer. As Eric's own Psycho Cut blade formed with the orange color of his Sacred Fire, Slowbro's eyes glowed a dimmed blue as it halted Eric's advance. Eric wasn't fazed, he simply smiled before he shifted positions with Teleport. Before Slowbro could react to it, Eric slashed across the enemy, pushed forward in a spin and struck down on the Shellder tail.

Skarmory swooped again at Eric, Steel Wing flaring another time, but Eric hopped up and jumped off of the enemy as it flew past. A Shadowed Hydro Pump launched toward him, and he jumped backward to see it shoot past. Eric spun around to face Blastoise, transformed, and Blaziken-Unison shot towards him.. mystic flames charged as Blaziken-Unison briefly dug his hand into the ground, swinging him around to slam Blastoise with a Sacred Fire charged Blaze kick. Blaziken-Unison kneels upon impact the Sacred Fire blasted through Blastoise, and as he pushes off and back flips to his feet, Blastoise falls down, Leaving Slowbro as the last one. Blaziken-Unison reverts and Eric summons an orange Psycho Cut blade from his right hand immediately; Slowbro focuses on its target, but as Eric lifted his psychic blade, he suddenly teleports directly in front of Slowbro. Striking down the blade before following with a left spin slash, Eric's final Pokémon opponent falls unconscious, the Shadow Aura unable to force it awake.

Syrus, blind with amplified rage in the minutes his Pokémon were defeated by the boy in front of him, dashed at him with an intent to kill as well. In another swift few moves, Eric sidestepped, crouched, and swept a leg counter-clockwise at Syrus; he spun faster to kick a falling Syrus in the chest, knocking him back to his feet at a stagger; Eric then whirled to his feet before spin kicking Syrus in the head.

Eric stood there after being forced to knock out his rival and friend. The additional strength given by the Sacred Fire had faded, and the additional fighting has left him barely able to remain standing he tried to walk over to Syrus, but his legs began wobbling enough that he was seen as stumbling rather than walking by the invisible spectators. Eric shakily reached for a Pokéball, and Charizard, seemingly refreshed, appears from it.

"I don't know much about the Sacred Fire, besides the fact that it's like a second personality developing between Ho-oh's and my personalities." Eric said to the unconscious Syrus. "But whatever it is, it can give me a means of helping those like you from these damned shadows. I will come back to get you out of this someday… I'll promise that…"

Eric slowly turned and walked to Charizard, noticing some uncharred remnants of the Grunt uniform. Charizard looked from it to his trainer, who barely nodded, and lit it aflame with a small ember.

"this was not… how I planned it…" Eric muttered, loud enough for Charizard to overhear. "Didn't think they'd give me this much trouble… I need training later."

Eric struggled to climb up on Charizard's back, and quickly grabbed his wing for support in doing so. Once aboard, he wrapped his arms loosely around Charizard's neck and slumped forward.

"anywhere in particular?" Charizard asked, figuring his trainer had plans.

"Anywhere… but here…" Eric said before passing out.

The lack of plans and his consideration for Training reminded Charizard of the place where he once trained. Since his trainer has the means of becoming a Charizard himself, it might turn out to be helpful for him. With his mind set, Charizard moved toward the large double doors, headbutted them open, and took flight with a sleeping Eric recovering from the battle.


	50. Chapter 49: Strongest Weaker

Chapter 49: The Strongest… is a great deal Weaker

***ERIC***

I felt like I wanted to sleep more, but the first question that popped into my head was how I'm in a bed. My vision opened up as painfully bright and blurred, but after about a minute of squinting, it cleared up to show my location. The room seemed to have been made out in a cave, with rough stone walls being surprisingly lit well and a few small electronic devices here and there, most notably a small television mounted in near the center of the room.

"where…?" I groaned, wincing as I felt sudden spikes of pain in my right wrist and arm, my chest (in three places), my gut, both legs, and the back of my temple. As I fell back down into the bed my teeth clenched, I looked to my left and found a door opening.

The person stepping through was a woman, green hair, probably around her mid to late twenties. The outfit she wore reminded me of those dragon Trainers you see who think they're all that. Based on her expression, however, she seemed fairly dignified and serious.

"well, it's about time you woke up, kid." She said. "According to that Alakazam of yours, your Charizard flew you all the way here from Kanto. Never thought that I'd see that particular Charizard again, though."

What'd she say? "You know him?"

"Of course, left a few years ago after being the strongest of the others for awhile." She replied "He your friend?"

"yeah…" I answered, and figured I'd share the cliff-notes version of how I first met Charizard. Blaziken, Kadabra and I came across him while practicing some new tactics, like using Psychic to change an attack's trajectory. When one of the combo attacks accidentally hit him from behind. Struck in a panic, I hastily apologized repeatedly, but instead of getting angry at me, he seemed intrigued at what we were doing. He decided to challenge us in the end, and despite his figuring out my all-out offensive tactics surprisingly well, it was when Kadabra demonstrated what we were training on that did him in, which involved breaking up a Flamethrower into a few medium sized fireballs and then launching them at him, stunning him long enough for Kadabra to end it for the catch.

"Heh, ever since joining with the kid, I've been shown quite a few tricks that helped in aerial agility." Charizard replied. The unexpected appearance caused me to jolt; he turned out to be looking through a window. "How you healing, punching bag?"

"Hey! What do ya mean 'Punching bag'?" I whined. "I didn't get _hit_ that hard!"

The woman looked confused as she looked between me and Charizard. "What, you understand what he's saying or something?"

"Yeah, it's a long story how, though…" then it occurred to me. "Oh, hey, She tells me that she knew you before… uhh, care to fill me in?"

"Liza? Yeah, I know her." Charizard smirked at me. "Where you are, was where I trained before meeting you. Get out of bed and see for yourself."

I clenched my teeth as I stretched where I was. I shakily got out of the bed and hobbled towards the entrance. "So Charizard tells me this was where he trained before we met." I muttered to myself. "if that be the case, what is thii-…?" I was stopped short when I stepped out and saw what was there.

The location had Charizards practically everywhere, with a group of them relaxing, a couple of them seemingly battling, and another few of them watching the battle with mild expressions. Never in my life had I ever been somewhere with that many Charizards in one place, and while I was impressed about that fact, it also made me very nervous.

"I figured this would be a great place to train." My partner said, standing next to me. "This valley was the reason I was such a difficult opponent when I met you. I talked it over with everyone, and figured this would be good for you."

I changed my gaze from my partner to the other Charizard, who seemed to have been sizing me up. At that moment, alarms blared out in my mind upon the realization of what my partner was saying. "WHA-! W-w-wait a minute, are you seriously suggesting that…! Errrrm…"

A couple of the other Charizards snorted, and seemed to have dismissed me. What others still looked started staring at me a little more closely with a skeptical expression.

"You got what you call 'cold feet' or something?" I side-glanced my partner and saw he was snickering.

"Cold feet…_cold feet_!" dude, what the HELL are you thinking? "You bet your tail I do!"

"that's rather surprising." the woman, I think he called her Liza, commented. "I was told you can fight against hordes of enemy Pokémon on your own and these guys give you cold feet?"

Damn, she had a point… I've fought against Trushades that swarmed me in all forms and weight classes, and I didn't panic then… at least until I got ambushed by Syrus's possessed Pokémon. 'Course, that begs to wonder who exactly told her.

"I don't remember seeing you this nervous about training before, something bothering you about it?" I heard Alakazam to my left, and looked. Sure enough… he, Blaziken, Marshtomp and Riolu were settled down against the wall there. Riolu's eyes looked eager, like a kid waiting for something cool to happen, and I couldn't help wondering if he was innocently sharing "great stories" about me…

"I suppose… it's kind of an ego sort of problem…' I won't lie in saying it either. "the primary problem is that I don't quite have the hang of using Charizard Unison yet… perhaps I'll learn the basics on this body, and then I'll attempt to train here."

Liza gave me a skeptical look and crossed her arms. "Your friends told me quite a bit when I demanded a reason to keep you here. And I've been fair until now." She said said, understandably irritated. "Now what is this 'Pokémon Unison' they've been telling me about?"

I automatically reached for Blaziken's Pokéball when my Charizard quickly snorted and a look from him stopped me. "that better be mine you're holding." I put back Blaziken's Pokéball and hesitantly grabbed his.

My uneasiness rose higher as most of the Charizards, one of them (assuming it's female) wearing a pink bow, were staring at me once more, likely waiting for me to change.

I took a deep breath, brought up Charizard's Pokéball and lightly tossed it up while envisioning Charizard's image.

"PokéUnison, Charizard." I closed my eyes as I felt the changes take place. The first thing I noticed when observing the changes was gaining bulk, in my body and legs more than my arms. My neck gaining length, wings opening out of my back, and a tail with a strengthening flame growing as well… about a few more seconds of gaining size and mass, the gain stopped, and I opened my eyes. Liza had an interested look on her face, and most of the other Charizards stared at me in disgust.

"Hmm, so you _can_ become one of us…" the Charizard with the bow commented.

"great… I didn't realize you'd look like _that_." My partner commented, a hint of disdain in his voice. I looked his direction… and upward a few degrees… realization stuck on me hard as it turned out… my strongest form, Charizard Unison… is a great deal _weaker_ than my partner himself…

"Erk…!' I spurted out, reverting back quickly with dread in my mind. "If what I assume is correct, my form's size practically screams 'need a lot of work done'…"

"Well, on any other Charizard, kid, that would have to be the weakest I've ever met." Ouch, that _HURTS_… "course, I've never met a Trainer who can become a Charizard until now. If you really intend to train here like your friends are suggesting, you're really gonna have to go the extra couple of miles…"

_Damn it…this is going to take awhile…_ I thought. _And if what I read about Charizard's __**naturally **__competitive nature is true… aw, hell…_

I took this time to take a look around, the place I was in seemed to be quite spacious and open, admittedly suitable for Charizard and perhaps a few other types of Pokémon. I got permission to look around outside, and I leapt up to the top of the wall instead of using the large doors, outside the wall was quite a sight. The valley stretched out far and wide, and past the metal doors was not only a beautiful lake, but the rock at the entrance was also shaped like that of a Charizard.

"Wooooww…" I marveled at the sight, "Where is this place, anyways?"

"According to him, this is called the 'Charicific Valley'" I looked to my right and found Alakazam levitating next to me. "Liza says that this is an isolated habitat for Charizard to live, away from poachers who have found them as prized Pokémon."

"hmm…" I've never really understood what was so big about Pokémon poaching in general, all I understood about it was merely an underhanded means of catching powerful and/or rare Pokémon… I can, however, understand why people would do a lot to get a Charizard, but regardless of what I think about specific cases, Poaching is cheap, simple as that.

"This place would be a great place to train…" I said. "but the kind of natural behavior in Charizard is a little unsettling, especially when I'm essentially a _runt_."

"That's just your starting point, though…" Alakazam reassured me. "Remember when you couldn't even win a simple fistfight? Now you can spar with a Machoke on mostly equal footing. You went through quite a bit of training to get it down, and Blaziken was with you going through it."

"you know," I wondered "I've almost began wondering if what you've been doing with all these pep talks is like what I did _before_ I could understand you guys…"

"You call them 'pep talks', huh?" Alakazam sneered. "I see quite a fine difference between pep talks and 'food for thought'."

"Bah…" not that _I_ cared. "I still feel like what I was starting out as my own Trainer, nervous about facing a tougher opponent, being a great deal shaky when learning something new… that sort of thing."

"what, were you that unnerved at realizing where you stand among the Charizard." He asked humorously.

My stomach lurched at the fact. "Liza said I was the _weakest_ Charizard she's ever seen, given my personality as being a little LESS hot-headed than your average Charizard, it's kind of a big deal to me! And it doesn't quite help that I'm apparently the _smallest_ to boot"

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" a voice said behind me, I turned around and found Liza stepping off the pink-bowed Charizard. "I won't lie, what you're getting yourself into is not going to be easy. But if you can show me what you can do, then I'll consider letting you stay here for awhile."

I looked down and then at the lake. _Of course it's not going to be easy… but if I intend to be able to handle those Trushade things better than what happened at Viridian Gym…_ I took a deep breath. "Right… I might need a little time before I can feel able to battle as a Charizard." I said solemnly. "But when I do fight, I'll do my best to warrant staying here."

I slid down the cliff toward the lake. Blaziken, Marshtomp, and Riolu walked out of the gate and my Charizard flew toward the lake… I guess this makes now as good a time as any, then…

***Meanwhile***

The results from the battle against the boy were of a narrow failure, which turned out to be unexpectedly good news for Darkness Silvershade. The gambit he placed in pitting Claid against his friend worked surprisingly well… and had his Sacred Fire not show up when it did, the battle would have been won. The Team Rocket grunts that he had started battle against were an unfortunate event, as a lack of restraint on violence is recognizable in early stages of complete corruption. A figure appeared behind Silvershade, the aura identifying the figure as a Delibird.

"Master Silvershade, your requested device has been made its first rough draft." The Shadow took from its bag a small, hollow, cagelike ball and presented it. Silvershade took it and clicked the button, it opened; he closed it and held the button down, it shrunk to the size big enough to hold a marble. The device was based on Pokéball technology that had intrigued him at one point. Unlike the originals, however, he has scientific servants that are trying to recreate the balls using his own Shadow Aura to avoid the drawbacks of the originals. He took out a Pokéball containing the Pokémon Noctowl and placed it in the spherical cage. As he clicked it into place, the device glowed purple and sparked with the Shadow Aura running through the Ball's inhabitant. Two minutes passed before the device slowly powered down. Silvershade took out the Pokéball and summoned Noctowl, the Shadow Aura emanated weakly from its body.

"Noctowl, turn around and face me." Silvershade commanded… it did obediently.

Okay… Silvershade thought, as he pressed a button on a remote, a target appearing to Noctowl's left.

"Noctowl, Attack the target with Shadow Rush." He said. Noctowl's expression focused fiercely on Silvershade and charged at him instead of the target. Silvershade raised a hand, with a sharp snapping noise, he psychically disposed of the test subject. He returned the device to the Delibird who watched the whole event.

"tell them to 'increase the amount of input to the test subjects, and enforce personal tests with the devices…'" Silvershade told the Delibird. "'if you trainers cannot use a Shadow Pokémon that has trouble identifying the intended target, then you might as well lay down and die.'"

"yes, Master Silvershade, I shall deliver your message immediately." The Delibird left

His thoughts returned to the news at hand, specifically toward the recorded television broadcast the bulletin in question summarized the event that happened in Viridian City. The reporter, identified as Gabby from the Hoenn region, was supposedly given the info anonymously, detailing the damage resultant of "the Rocket Rogue", understood to be Claid himself. The bulletin that was recorded was the woman in the initial announcement restating the broadcast, minus the entirety of the lengthy recording of Claid's battle with Gabby's commentary.

"Once again, in a surprising series of events, it turns out that Team Rocket, a criminal organization thought to be disbanded, is quite possibly still active in the shadows of the Kanto Region." The newscaster said. "In this portion of the following video, the informant, aliased "the Rocket Rogue" and former member of Team Rocket, faces off alongside his Pokémon team against what seems to be a small army, reported to be the highly illegal 'Shadow Pokémon'. Observations have been made that the informant survived the ordeal and has been lifted by his partners to an unknown destination. Reports on the attacking Rocket members and the many Pokémon that strangely vanished during the battle remain unknown."

During the report, the recording displayed top-down view of the arena depicting an obscure trainer fighting against hordes of enemy Pokémon, most of them just the carbon copies of the originals. The Trainer's face is completely covered but it turns out the Trainer had difficulty defeating the larger enemies in large enough quantities. Silvershade considered what should happen of Eric Claid. While the intended counter attack was an apparent failure, he had no immediate qualms about it. Given the boy's past lessons, however, it was quickly deduced that he would likely be working to grow stronger. Such a fact was irrelevant, however, as Silvershade's experiment produced fruitful results. The Shadowed copies were equally powerful to the originals, and they held up just as easily as they do. It was only a matter of time before the copies would be perfect, time which there is plenty of in this stage…

However, there is still the potential that boy has that still interests Slvershade. Regardless, it might be another matter as to how said potential can be reached in the end.

"Gotta keep you on your toes, boy…" Silvershade said to himself. "I'll wish you luck in keeping up with my troops progress… you're gonna need it."

He watched recording of the battle between Claid and his brainwashed friend. The sight of Claid struggling against his friend caused Silvershade to snicker. It quickly turned out that such a tactic would prove effective against more than just Claid's enemies, and the snicker grew to a laugh.


End file.
